Hello everyone,
After our recent update on the anti-doping policy, lots of you had additional questions. In this post, wed like to shed some light on the most frequently asked ones.
How are you going to store personal information and medical records you gather from the players?
We will not store any medical information beyond the event it was sent in for. If a player turns in negative results, we will destroy the sample and all documentation connected to it. If a player turns in positive results, we will store the sample and all documentation connected to it, according to the rules on sample preservation and documentation that WADA defined.
If you want to show us your prescription, its enough if you bring it with you to the venue and present it to the league operations team before your first game is scheduled to start.
Why did you go with WADA and not World Chess Federation? Their list of banned substances seems to be much more straightforward.
WADA is the most important organisation when it comes to anti-doping policing and control. It was a natural choice for us to reach out to them and seek their support. That said, this is only the first step on our way to having a complete and solid policy. It is very likely that we will adjust the list of banned substances when we have enough evidence that changes to this list are indeed needed.
How are you going to ensure the legitimacy of prescriptions players are providing to prove they need certain medication?
We wont question the legitimacy of medical prescriptions, but that will change in obvious cases when we notice unusual patterns. Were not excluding looking into the process that NBA and NHL have in place to handle their exemption system.
Did you ask any players for their input?
Weve reached to a few players on a personal level, but it was wrong not to involve a bigger group of them at an earlier stage. Players we spoke to welcomed the initiative, and at the same time had questions about its transparency.
Realizing that what we did so far was not enough we, started to improve in the direct player communication by meeting n0thing, spunj and stunna on Friday the 14th, to get more direct feedback and answer some of their questions face to face. They gave us their feedback openly, and raised a couple of interesting points were definitely going to consider (such as: is randomized testing really the way to go? Maybe testing all players is a better way). All players' concerns are being answered as they come in, and we will look into supporting the setup of a players council body to work much more closely with going forward.
Why are you not banning energy drinks?
To shape our policies, ESL is relying on the experience of leading anti-doping agencies which are also trusted by other mental sports, such as Chess. Energy drinks are not banned by authorities like WADA/NADA.
Why did you ban steroids?
We are aware that for example [FIDE]((
https://www.fide.com/FIDE/handbook/FIDEAntiDopingRules.pdf)) work with WADA and have developed their own comprehensive rule set to fit the nature of their sport. It is something we will work towards but that doesn't happen overnight. Until then, we refer to market leading agencies WADA/NADA.
Are you going to create your own list instead of using WADAs list?
Were at the beginning of this process and WADAs list is a good place to start. Were not excluding the possibility of making an esports-specific list, however that is something we will look into when were further down the road.
What categories of doping do you recognize, and what are the punishments for them?
We have defined a couple of different categories of doping with corresponding punishments for infringements. They differ from each other in terms of:
- Substances that were involved
- Circumstances in which they were used
Mild cases of doping will be punished with a warning and possibly minor penalty points for the participant. Repeated mild case will be treated as a severe case.
Severe cases (i.e. testing positive for amphetamine) will be punished with penalty points, a ban for the player and (a) default loss(es), as well as possibly disqualification of the participant.
Repeated cases of doping by the same player will be punished harder, up to a lifetime ban for the player.
Repeated cases of doping on the same team (but by a different player) will also be punished harder for the team.
Repeated cases of doping by the same player on the same team will be punished harder for both the team and the player.
Final decision on the punishment is subject to ESLs League Operations Director, and will be made at his discretion.
What if a player refuses to undergo a test?
Refusing to get tested is treated the same way as turning in a positive test result on the level of a severe case. This is standard policy for anti doping agencies.
Are you going to release any information about players who tested positive and received a punishment? If so, what information will you release?
The punishment will be made public, as well as the reason for it (i.e. severe case of doping). We will not reveal the details about the exact substances or methods that were used.
Does ESL have any kind of appeal system in place?
If a player tests positive for any of the banned substances, the tournament administration will make a decision about his punishment based on the severity of the case, as described in the rule book. If a player wants to make an appeal to that decision, he will be given an opportunity to do so within seven days after the punishment has been announced. An appeal has to be made with the tournament administration in writing. A player can also appeal to any of the referees from the competition, or more specifically to the anti-doping group within ESL.
Next to testing the A and B samples provided by the player, an additional test can be run on his/her request. Turning in a third positive test result in the same round of testing concludes the testing. Player can choose to provide additional sample immediately after the third test, for a test which can be run by an external laboratory chosen by both parties.
Feel free to ask additional questions if you have any, and we will update the FAQ with answers. ESL One Cologne starts in just a couple of days, and were looking forward having an amazing event!
