Video gamers to be screened for drug use

Weeks after a top video game tournament player admitted to taking performance enhancing drug, a major sports organiser said participants in its next event will be screened for illegal use of drugs.

The Electronic Sports League (ESL) said it would conduct skin tests for the drugs at its next tournament - ESL One Cologne event in Germany in August.

Video game player Kory Friesen said he had taken an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medicine called Adderall at a tournament in March, BBC reported.

While participants at traditional sports events take performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) to increase physical ability, video gamers generally use them for increasing concentration and reducing reaction times.

ESL said it would work with World Anti-Doping Agency and Germany's national doping agency to create a policy to prevent the use of drugs in esports events.

"In order to maintain the spirit of fair play within esports, ESL has partnered with NADA (the Nationale Anti Doping Agentur, which is headquartered in Bonn, Germany) to help create an anti-PED policy that is fair, feasible and conclusive while also respecting the privacy of players," the company said in a statement.

"ESL will also be meeting with WADA (the World Anti Doping Agency based in Montreal, Canada) so they can be actively involved in the making, enforcing and dissemination of this policy to additional regions such as the US, Asia and Australia," the statement said.