According to The Guardian, Las Vegas is set to host the inaugural Enhanced Games this weekend.Las Vegas is set to host a controversial new sporting event this weekend, as the inaugural Enhanced Games gets underway, openly embracing performance-enhancing drugs in direct defiance of global anti-doping bodies. The event, which permits substances approved by America’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has attracted a roster of prominent athletes, including Olympic medalists and world record holders, alongside fierce condemnation from traditional sports federations.

Among the notable names participating are Britain’s Ben Proud, a silver medalist in the 50m freestyle at the Paris Games, and Ukraine’s Andriy Govorov, the world record holder for the 50m butterfly. Australian former 100m freestyle world champion James Magnussen will also compete. In track and field, the biggest draw is Fred Kerley of the United States, the 2022 world 100m champion with a personal best of 9.76 seconds, alongside British sprinter Reece Prescod, who holds a personal best of 9.93 seconds.

A new frontier for performance

The Enhanced Games operates on a principle that stands in stark contrast to the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) code. While Wada outlaws a comprehensive list of substances, the Enhanced Games permits a range of FDA-approved drugs, including:

• Testosterone and anabolics (such as methenolone, nandrolone)

• Hormones and growth factors (like human growth hormone, EPO)

• Metabolic modulators (e.g., meldonium) and stimulants (e.g., Adderall)

Organizers claim athletes undergo “frequent and multilayered medical screenings” and point to an International Review Board (IRB) trial in Abu Dhabi, where 37 of the 42 Enhanced Games athletes were monitored by health professionals from January to May. Notably, two swimmers, Hunter Armstrong of the USA and Tristan Evelyn from Barbados, are competing without enhancement, while others like American swimmer Cody Miller, a Rio 2016 gold medalist, are enhancing under private medical supervision.

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Financial incentives and official scorn

The financial rewards at the Enhanced Games are substantial, offering a powerful incentive for athletes. Competitors receive yearly salaries, reportedly three to five times what national federations typically pay, in addition to an appearance fee. A total prize pool of $500,000 is on offer across all events, with individual event winners taking home $250,000. An additional $250,000 bonus is awarded for breaking a world record, a figure that escalates to an astounding $1 million for new world records in the 50m freestyle and 100m sprint. Last year, Kristian Gkolomeev reportedly received $1 million after unofficially breaking the 50m freestyle world record in 20.89 seconds.

Despite the lure of prize money and enhanced performance, any “world records” set at the Enhanced Games will not be officially recognized by traditional sports bodies. The event has drawn scathing criticism from leading figures in global sport.

Sebastian Coe, president of World Athletics, dismissed the event outright. “It’s bollocks isn’t it? I can’t really get excited about it,” Coe stated. “There’s only one message, and that is if anybody is moronic enough to officially take part in it, and they are in the traditional part of our sport, they’ll get banned for a long time.”

The US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart echoed this sentiment, calling it a “dangerous clown show, not real sport.” Wada has also labeled the concept “dangerous and irresponsible,” warning of the serious long-term health risks associated with performance-enhancing substances.

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The Enhanced Games will be live-streamed across the US on Roku and internationally via its YouTube channel, as it also seeks to boost sales of its own range of supplements, testosterone, and peptides, many of which are not yet FDA approved.

Sources: www.theguardian.com

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