VALORANT: Jinggg unfit for National Service in Singapore due to medical condition, returns to Paper Rex's main roster for VCT Pacific Split 1

Singaporean VALORANT powerhouse Paper Rex announced on Friday (29 March) that star duelist Wang “Jinggg” Jing Jie will be rejoining the main roster and compete in the upcoming VALORANT Champions Tour (VCT) 2024 Pacific Split 1 after an unexpected early return from his military service.

Jinggg went back to Singapore after the conclusion of the 2023 VCT Season to register for National Service (NS), the country’s compulsory 2-year military enlistment.

However, during the PES (Physical Employment Standard) medical examinations, it was assessed that Jinggg has a life-long medical condition that meant he was "medically unfit for any form of service.”

The medical condition is said to be managed with ongoing treatment.

Jinggg's condition won't affect his ability to compete at esports, says Paper Rex

According to Paper Rex, the condition “does not affect his ability to compete at the highest levels of esports.”

The team also emphasised the confidentiality of Jinggg's medical condition, urging the public to respect his privacy in this regard as a personal matter.

With these new developments, Jinggg has also signed a contract extension until the end of 2026, as part of the main roster.

Paper Rex 'ecstatic' Jinggg can return to competitive play

“We were always prepared for the time that Jing Jie would have to register for his military service. Plans to keep our VALORANT roster’s competitive edge began as early as the start of 2023,” Paper Rex Chief Gaming Officer (CGO) Harley “dsn” Örvall said in the official statement.

“However, we consider ourselves extremely fortunate that recent developments allow Jing Jie to continue competing on our team. Naturally, we’re ecstatic and are working to ensure Jing Jie’s documents and paperwork are in order to get him back in the game as soon as possible.”

Jinggg joined PRX in 2021 and together they dominated VCT APAC in 2022. They came second in the Masters Copenhagen 2022 after a close match with FunPlus Phoenix and landed in the 9th-12th spot in VALORANT Champions 2022.

In the following year, with Ilia “something” Petrov replacing Benedict “Benkai” Tan, PRX won the VCT 2023 Pacific League and took third place at Masters Tokyo 2023.

However, despite their formidable efforts, they fell short in the grand final of Valorant Champions 2023, succumbing to Evil Geniuses with a score of 3-1, ultimately securing the runner-up position.

On his personal X (formerly Twitter) account, Jinggg expressed his happiness with these developments:

"I know I've been quiet but I've just been following the processes," he went on to say. "Thank you, everyone, for your concern and support, and I hope you all can continue supporting me and PRX."

Cahya “Monyet” Nugraha, on the other hand, has been moved to the reserve player role.

Monyet, who was formerly from Global Esports, replaced Jinggg during VCT Pacific Kickoff 2024, where Paper Rex lost to Gen.G 3-1 at the Grand Finals.

Then recently at the VCT Masters Madrid, Monyet had also been instrumental in bringing the team further into the competition, after executing plays that brought them to the Lower Bracket Finals at the Playoffs.

Paper Rex eventually finished third, losing 1-2 to North American team and eventual VCT Masters Madrid champions Sentinels.

Paper Rex VALORANT roster:

• Aaron ‘mindfreak’ Leonhart

• Jason ‘f0rsakeN’ Susanto

• Khalish ‘d4v41’ Rusyaidee

• Ilia ‘something’ Petrov

• Jing Jie ‘Jinggg’ Wang

• Cahya ‘Monyet’ Nugraha (Reserve)

• Alexandre ‘Alecks’ Salle (Coach)

Anna is a freelance writer and photographer. She is a gamer who loves RPGs and platformers, and is a League of Legends geek. She's also a food enthusiast who loves a good cup of black coffee.

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