Pubdate: Sat, 25 Jul 2015
Source: Columbus Dispatch (OH)
Copyright: 2015 The Columbus Dispatch
Contact:  http://www.dispatch.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/93
Author: Curtis Skinner, Reuters
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing)

VIDEO-GAMERS WILL BE TESTED FOR DRUGS

A competitive video-gaming organization will begin testing players 
for performance-enhancing drugs next month, as the field of so-called 
eSports moves further into the mainstream and prize pools climb.

The announcement by the Electronic Sports League came just weeks 
after one gamer admitted to using the stimulant Adderall at a 
tournament, sparking discussion around an issue that has long plagued 
traditional sports.

The ESL said in a statement on Thursday it would start administering 
randomized skin tests for the drugs at its ESL One Cologne event in 
Germany in August, a tournament for the first-person shooting game 
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive that boasts a $250,000 prize pool.

The ESL said it will partner with the World Anti-Doping Agency and 
Germany's antidoping agency to develop a policy on the issue. It aims 
to perform tests at all of its major events.

"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 ESL said in a statement.

Earlier this month, Kory Friesen, who now plays for the team Nihilum 
Gaming, spoke about his performance with a former team at a recent 
$250,000 tournament.

In a video interview with another gamer, Friesen said the "hectic" 
nature of their communications had been due to his entire five-man 
team taking the amphetamine Adderall.

"I don't even care, we were all on Adderall," he said with a laugh. 
"Tons of people do it."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom