To the common sports fan the idea of testing Professional Gamers for the use of PEDs might seem absurd. What could a gamer who sits and stares at a screen gain from PEDs? Most may think of PEDs as drugs that can help boost muscle mass, recovery time, and increased athleticism. Personally I had a hard time imagining what a gamer could take to gain a competitive edge.
Thursday the ELS announced that they would begin to explore drug testing programs. After reading Darren Rovell’s article over the subject I began to understand what PEDs could be taken. Kory Friesen had claimed that his team had taken Adderall during an event. “While it is impossible to go back and test the players, this really was the catalyst to demand immediate action for the integrity of our sport,” Lampkin said. Having had friends who were ADHD I could remember how they had a hard time focusing without their medicine. The idea that someone who is already able to focus on what they’re doing and takes Adderall to enhance that could be a huge advantage. This is something that MLG will have to look into as well.
“In order to ensure an even playing field, the ESL, which is headquartered in Germany, said it has partnered with the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) in its country to take the next steps and will also involve the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to help carry out its rules and penalties when a policy is formed,” said Rovell.
“Psychostimulants like Adderall and beta-blockers look to be the most popular right now, but in the same way athletics commissions are constantly battling against the newest PEDs available, we expect our challenge to be similar,” Lampkin said. With new PEDs coming out all the time the ELS will have their hands full trying to test at each event for all the possible PEDs being taken.
