Drug testing to be introduced to pro eSports

A further step in eSports being recognised by a  wider audience as a ‘proper’ sport is set to be introduced; with drug testing to become a compulsory part of official competitions.

The world of eSports was partially shook recently after an ex professional gamer admitted that he and his team “were all on Adderall”, during a Counter Strike: Global Offensive match. The former player, Kory Friesen, said this in a filmed interview which can be seen here. He said: “I don’t even care, we were all on Adderall, I don’t even give a f*ck, like it’s pretty obvious.”

The Electronic Sports League (ESL) is the largest organized body of its kind, and it is the ESL which has announced plans to introduce measures to crack down on performance enhancing drugs. It has partnered with the anti-doping agency in its native Germany, the Nationale Anti-Doping Agentur (NADA), to create an effective, and fair policy.

Adderall is more commonly used to treat both narcolepsy and attention deficit disorders, but it’s used by some gamers to improve their levels of concentration. Such use has been seen before in universities and colleges, and it has the reputation of a ‘study drug’.

In an online post on eslgaming.com, an ESL spokesperson stated: “We will taking immediate action to ensure that ESL’s company values of exemplary sportsmanship and integrity are maintained.”

The first such drug testing looks set to take place at the ESL One tournament in Cologne, Germany in August and will take the form of skin testing. The rulebook of the ESL openly states that: “to play a match, be it online or offline, under the influence of any drugs, alcohol, or other performance enhancers is strictly prohibited, and may be punished with exclusion from the ESL One.”