Already on the next weekend will be held on the main Russian eSports tournament EPICENTER on Counter Strike: Global Offensive in St. Petersburg. After last year’s meldonium scandal in big-time sports, we decided to find out how things are by the end of 2017 in esports, especially in CS: GO , where quick reactions and clarity of mind are the main guarantee of victory. We asked questions to Roman Dvoryankin , General Manager of the Russian eSports organization Virtus.pro , who also heads the anti- doping working group of the World Federation .

– The first question – is the problem of doping in e-sports as acute as in ordinary sports? Now professional athletes are in such a position that it is almost impossible to break world records just in training, and someone is constantly using something anyway. Is there really a PROBLEM with doping in esports?

– Due to its specificity, esports stands out in terms of physical indicators that need to be improved to achieve a result. For example, anabolic steroids used to increase muscle mass will not help an esports athlete in any way . Therefore, the only doping for cybersports is substances that improve attention, increase concentration and help fight drowsiness. Even potentially, the problem of doping in eSports is not so acute. Is there a problem? At the moment, there is a serious problem, since all the major tournaments already have a drug test, and it is on kibersportsmeny earns money tournaments. If we assume that the athlete accepts something at the time of training , this will not help him in any way at the tournament, since there he must be “clean”.

– The last scandal in esports dates back to 2015: Adderall *, amphetamines, marijuana. Has anything changed in two years, both in relation to the drugs themselves and to the attitude to doping in terms of the organizers?

– Just after those scandals , doping tests were introduced at major competitions, so now everything is quite professional. So far, it is not as strict as in classic sports, but we are moving in this direction. For example, recently a video was released on our channel dedicated to how these doping tests go.

– Really Do these preparations can actually dramatically enhance the ability of pro-gamer? So that everything in slow-mo happens like in video games ? Or are they minor changes that don’t affect the final performance?

– Globally, doping has no effect: you will not play like The International champions if you are a mid-range player. There are drugs that can improve the player’s reaction by 5-10 percent and suppress the feeling of anxiety, however, when the difference in the skill of the players is a fraction of a percent, when equal teams are playing , 5-10 percent can already affect the result.

– How strongly do simple energetics influence the work of the organism and do they affect it at all? Do they really help athletes with loads during training and in tournaments, or is it marketing?

– Energetics have several properties, the main one of which is, of course, the placebo effect: you drank a jar and think that now you will definitely not want to sleep . But objectively, almost all energy drinks contain at least caffeine and taurine, which actually help fight drowsiness and invigorate. There is no ban on caffeine yet and is unlikely to be.

– Will doping control be introduced on an ongoing basis at all tournaments, or at least at all Premier Series tournaments in major disciplines?

– Already now, there is doping control at all major CS: GO tournaments , DOTA2 and other disciplines are slightly behind , but I think that literally next year they will also catch up.

– On the eve of EPICENTER CS: GO – will there be doping control?

– As far as I know, doping control will be there, but we always proceed from the fact that even if it is not known in advance whether it will be or not , we must be ready for anything, and that no prohibited substances will be found in the athletes .

Let’s also remember how the active work with doping in esports began in general : ESL Katowice , 2015 . After the crushing defeat of Cloud9 (they could not even leave the group), a member of the Semphis team , in a conversation with a journalist, said quite relaxedly that “absolutely everyone here takes Adderall *, no one cares. We were told that we have problems with communication in the team – well , here is the answer to all your questions. ” This did not lead to any sanctions against the team or player, but accelerated the introduction of doping tests in all major tournaments. And although a direct link between success in eSports and the use of Adderall has not yet been proven , it is banned for use in tournaments.

That very scandalous interview

* Adderall is an amphetamine- based psychotropic stimulant designed to enhance mental and physical performance. A drug commonly prescribed to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. It has a narcotic effect.