Esports will not feature in the 2026 Commonwealth Games, which are due to be held in Victoria, Australia.
The surprising U-turn comes after esports were piloted at the 2022 Games held in Birmingham.
The pilot was co-funded by the Commonwealth Games Federation (GF) and the Global Esports Federation (GEF). At the time, the CGF called the pilot a success and expected esports to be held at future Games.
Watch on YouTube
The CGF, GEF and the 2026 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee all refused to give an explanation for the U-turn when contacted by BBC News.
However, a source told the BBC that issues surrounding doping played a factor in the decision, and in particular of concerns surrounding the necessity of arranging a year-round drugs testing program which could prove too problematic.
The use of prescription drugs such as Adderall to enhance performance has been a recurring issue in competitive gaming tournaments.
In July 2022, the CGF signed a long-term partnership agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency. However, none of the 100 players at the 2022 pilot event were drugs tested.
