Swimmer Shane Ryan, who has represented Ireland at three Olympic Games, said that financial incentives contributed to his decision to join the Enhanced Games.Credit: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile via Getty
Picture an elite sporting event that permits, and even encourages, athletes to use performance-enhancing drugs: the idea seems far-fetched. Yet this week, the first ‘Enhanced Games’ are taking place in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Sporting organizations have responded harshly. World Athletics president Sebastian Coe described the games as “bollocks” and said that athletes would be “moronic” to join. Travis Tygart, head of the US Anti-Doping Agency based in Colorado Springs, called it a “dangerous clown show”. Some athletes have expressed ethical and health concerns.
The games, set for 24 May, will not rival the Olympics in size or spectacle. A handful of athletics, swimming and strength-based events will take place. Sporting federations will not ratify any potential world records set there.
Yet, athletes have signed up. As a sociologist working on substance use in sports and exercise, I think that dismissing their interest, or this event altogether, would be a mistake.
Many, and perhaps all, of the people competing will use performance-enhancing drugs. But the Enhanced Games are not intended to be a drug free-for-all: only substances approved by the US Federal Drug Administration are permitted. And athletes must comply with US federal and Nevada state laws. Participants will be supported by medical professionals tasked with minimizing risks and signing athletes off as healthy to compete — although specific details of the event’s harm-reduction plans are scarce. For example, how appropriate substances and doses will be determined and, crucially, how post-event care and substance-use cessation will be managed have not been disclosed. This omission can make it seem like performance-enhancing drugs are easy to use and stop — minimizing the complex care and risks involved.
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Those wondering why anyone would be tempted by the Enhanced Games need only consider the lives of elite athletes. Many Olympic competitors work full time alongside training. Some live below the poverty line, even in nations such as Australia and the United States, which often rank near the top of leader boards. Financial pressures are a known risk factor for doping. The Enhanced Games will pay athletes for competing and give bonuses of up to US$1 million for breaking a world record.
Elite sports also present a range of risks to athletes’ physical and mental health. Some physical risks of sports are well known, such as acute musculoskeletal injuries. Repeated head impacts in contact sports such as rugby and American football can cause neurodegenerative diseases, including chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which can take years or decades to emerge. Competitive sports also affect athletes’ mental health. Gymnast Simone Biles, tennis player Naomi Osaka and sprinter Noah Lyles are among those who have spoken publicly about their struggles with depression and anxiety.
