On June 19, the International Esports Federation (IESF) quietly issued a statement that professional TEKKEN player Arslan Siddique (“Arslan Ash”) violated anti‑doping rules under the WADA Code (World Anti-Doping Agency) and has been sanctioned with a two-year period of ineligibility after “testing positive for 19-norandrosterone, 19-noretiocholanolone, the Stanozolol Metabolites, and the Metandienone Metabolites.” This decision is the result of an alleged anti-doping rule violation identified during the World Esports Championship 2022 (WEC22), where he represented Pakistan.
The organization said it came to this decision because the substances are “Prohibited Substances under the World Anti-Doping (“WADA”) Prohibited List” and “Prohibited Substances under class S1.1A Anabolic Androgenic Steroids of WADA’s 2022 Prohibited List.”
Of course, these substances are banned for use in traditional sports as they are classified as performance-enhancing drugs, but it is unclear how they would affect the performance of Arslan Ash when playing a fighting game.
In fact, another organization issued a statement Wednesday noting that it will not enforce this ruling. In its own statement, the Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) noted that the ruling applies retroactively from April 26, 2023, to April 25, 2025, and would essentially invalidate Arslan Ash’s placement and prize money at EVO Japan 2023, EVO 2023 (Las Vegas), Tekken World Tour Finals 2023 (New Orleans), Gamers8 Tekken 7 Nations Cup 2023 (Riyadh), EVO 2024 (Las Vegas), Battle Arena Melbourne 15 (2025), and CEO 2025 (Orlando).
For this and other reasons ESIC noted that its members have no obligation to support, recognize, or enforce the decision. Further, it said that it does not apply the WADA Prohibited List to esports, as it is designed for traditional sports and traditional sports athletes; instead, it uses its own framework that prohibits substances that would have a material effect on gameplay, such as Adderall. Finally, the ESIC said that its goal is to protect the competitive integrity of competitions by applying science:
“Without a scientifically grounded and purpose-built approach to anti-doping in esports, serious consequences to competitive integrity are inevitable—as demonstrated by this incident. ESIC remains firmly committed to a fair, evidence-based anti-doping framework and will continue to encourage all members to rely on ESIC’s established and proven approach,” the organization said in its statement.
Speaking to ProPakistani about the situation, Arlan Ash said that IESF used the same testing method applied to professional sports athletes, and that he was unaware of its legality:
“I wasn’t aware these drugs were banned in esports,” he told the publication. “I was never using them for any kind of advantage in gaming. Once I learned about their risks and the anti-doping rules, I stopped using them completely.”