On heels of scandal, eSports league will introduce drug testing

Cyber athletes might not juice in quite the same way as a UFC fighter or MLB slugger, but performance-enhancing drugs are becoming a big enough concern that one of the largest pro gaming organizations in the world is about to start testing its players.

The Electronic Sports League (ESL) has announced it will begin policing substances that could unfairly improve a competitor's performance.

"The growing visibility and popularity of eSports, as well as increasing prize pools, make it not only more tempting for teams and players to break the rules, but also more damaging to our sport as a whole when they do," the group said in a statement. "ESL has an ongoing commitment to safeguarding the integrity of our competitions and providing a fair playground for professional players. With this in mind, today we’re announcing further steps our organization is taking, to determine and enforce guidelines and rules the use of performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) at ESL events."

The first of those steps will be randomized skin tests at the group's One Cologne event next month. Players will be checked for banned substances, though the ESL did not specifically name which drugs are prohibited.

Expect Adderall to make the banned list, though. Last week, a high-level ESL Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player admitted he and other members of his team had used the drug while playing in a $250,000 tournament in Poland.

Adderall is normally used to treat Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and can sharpen the focus of users, a useful skill in the fast-moving world of eSports.

The player — Cory "Semphis" Friesen — and his team will not be punished or stripped of their winnings, despite their admission.

"We have no way of knowing whether Semphis, despite what he said, has actually taken Adderall or not," Anna Rozwandowicz, head of communications at the ESL, told Vice’s Motherboard site. "We can't punish someone if we are not 100 percent sure he is guilty. And as we have no way to test it anymore (we're four months after the event), we won't take action in this specific case."

The organization says it will reach out individually to players, teams, and managers to inform them of which substances are banned, how future testing will take place, and what disciplinary actions will be enforced for those who break the rules.

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