The gaming company of Electronic Sports League has begun a new process which will hopefully combat the allegations of doping within the league. They have paired up with The Nationale Anti-Doping Agentur of Germany to screen for doping and produce a new set of rules that will bring eSports back to the competitive level the viewers expect. They expect that these rules will deter and prevent competitors from using performance enhancing drugs, or PEDs.
If you are involved with the eSports scene, you may know that members of Cloud 9’s CS:GO team admitted to using Adderall during ESL Katowice One 2015. Cory “Semphis” Friesen even admitted to a caster that, “We were all on Adderall. I don’t even give a f***.” However, a list of banned substances has not yet been produced and ESL has stated that Friesen cannot be punished simply by his admission of guilt.
The league will be doing randomized drug testing for the first time at ESL One Cologne 2015 in August. They plan on continuing this for the ESL, IEM, and ESL ESEA Pro League Series. In addition to testing for these PEDs, ESL will provide structural and emotional support for competitors. They want to ensure that players are, “provided with information and structural support to help them manage the physical and emotional pressure that the highest level of competitive gaming puts on many of them.” It is refreshing to see a gaming league with such a strong desire to see their competitors succeed both in and out of tournaments.