Main page: Help centre
A tournament ban prevents a player from playing in official or officially supported tournaments. It also limits to what extent a player can staff or otherwise offer assistance in these tournaments.
Tournament bans are very rarely handed out on their own, but generally speaking, almost all players who return under a standard appeal for an account restriction are subject to one of at least a year in length.
Due to the high-stakes nature of tournament play, tournament bans are treated very seriously and are not subject to the kind of leniency an account restriction might ordinarily receive.
Any severe violation of the community rules that takes place during an officially supported tournament is likely to cause a tournament ban, even if it would have typically only resulted in a less severe punishment outside of the competitive play setting.
As a real-world example, such behaviour would include drawing or writing hate symbols/slurs (such as swastikas) using cursor smoke in streamed matches.
All users returning to the game after a restriction under the standard appeal terms are also subject to a minimum temporary tournament ban of 1 year, which may be lengthened at the discretion of the account support team.
Any use of third-party cheating tools or other methods to gain an unfair advantage over other participants in an officially supported tournament will result in an indefinite tournament ban. In some situations, especially excessive cases of abuse may also elicit such a punishment at the discretion of the support team.
This includes situations like:
You may continue to play in community tournaments that do not request official support or require screening at the discretion of the individuals organising such events.
You may still staff in officially supported tournaments by streaming, commentating, or designing graphics at the host's discretion. If you wish to help with other tasks, the host of the tournament you wish to help in MUST request an exemption in their initial request for support. Depending on the reason and severity of the infringement, and with your history in mind, the account support team may then allow this.
Information about your tournament ban status may be provided to tournament organisers upon request, whether they are benefitting from official support or not.
| Tournament ban reason | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Community rules violation within a tournament | 1 month or more | May be longer at the account support team's discretion |
| Disrespecting staff or wasting time | 1 month or more | |
| Enabling another player's multi-accounting or cheating during a tournament | 6 months or more | |
| Player misconduct during an officially supported tournament | 1-2 years | |
| Returning under standard appeal terms | 1-2 years | May be longer at the account support team's discretion |
| Multi-accounting or account sharing during an officially supported tournament | Indefinite | Will also cause a restriction |
| Using third-party utilities or other cheating tools during an officially supported tournament | Indefinite | Will also cause a restriction |
| Utilising private/confidential tournament information to gain or confer an unfair advantage | Indefinite | May also cause a restriction |
| Severe abuse towards or harassment of tournament organisers/staff/participants | Indefinite | May also cause a restriction |
A hosting probation is enforced as a result of an official support rule violation that cannot be resolved via communication to the host after the tournament's conclusion. When a hosting probation is applied to a user, the next tournament they organise that applies for official support will be heavily scrutinised by the Tournament Committee both during the tournament and after it finishes. Minor issues which would typically be resolved via email communication without further incident would instead extend the hosting probation. Significant violations of official support rules while on probation will result in a hosting ban or greater punishment, as determined by the committee.
A hosting probation can be removed by organising a tournament with zero official support violations, including minor issues that would require an email to the host to fix them. Examples of these issues include:
Users who consistently have minor issues which require correction by the committee via email will remain on probation indefinitely. Users who make no effort to improve the quality of their events while on probation may be subject to harsher punishment as determined by the committee. Hosting probations do not expire automatically.
If a user faces harsher punishment, such as a hosting ban, their probation will also expire once their punishment is lifted.
A hosting ban prevents a user from being the primary organiser or admin of any officially supported tournament. They may, however, engage in other roles which do not involve organisation.
The Tournament Committee reserves the right to bypass the hosting probation punishment in cases of severe violations of the official support rules, especially in cases where competitive integrity is a concern.
A staffing ban prevents a user from staffing in officially supported tournaments, with the exception of streaming, commentating, or graphic design.
Tournament sanctions as applied via means other than standard appeal terms come with a 72-hour appeal window during which the sanction can be disputed. After the appeal window passes, these sanctions, excluding indefinite tournament bans, may not be appealed.
Indefinite tournament bans may be appealed after at least two years (24 months) have elapsed since they were first applied. Users contesting an indefinite tournament ban will be expected to have demonstrated positive involvement in the broader osu! community, in tournaments or otherwise, and have a spotless behavioural record during this timeframe. In the event of a failed appeal, a user must wait at least one year (12 months) from the date of their last appeal before appealing again.
Though it is possible to appeal indefinite tournament bans as above, it should be stressed that significant effort in the greater community outside of writing an appeal should be expected for any earnest chance of success. A list of all users who have successfully appealed an indefinite tournament ban can be found on this forum thread.
In rare situations, the account support team may review individual cases at their discretion and remove or reapply appropriate punishments to ensure they remain consistent with similar instances in the past.