What the Youth Sports Community Needs to Know About the Enhanced Games

 

Have you heard of the Enhanced Games? If so, the narrative around paying athletes and supporting career longevity may have sounded reasonable, but there’s far more to consider when it comes to understanding the impact of this proposed spectacle. 

Here, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s Dr. Matt Fedoruk, Chief Science Officer, and Olympian Allison Wagner, Athlete and International Relations Director, share their views on the Enhanced Games and how it can impact sport integrity, athlete wellness, and youth sport.  

 What are the Enhanced Games? 

Simply explained, the "Enhanced Games" is a planned international sports event that may take place in 2025 where athletes are encouraged to enhance themselves and their performances by using performance-enhancing substances (PEDs) and methods. The idea was conceived by Australian businessman Aron D'Souza and has since garnered widespread media attention, as well the support of some and the condemnation of many.

 Why would someone support the Enhanced Games? D'Souza claims that the Enhanced Games will offer athletes financial incentives that they don’t receive through the current Olympic and Paralympic system. And with the help of PEDs, D'Souza argues that athletes will be able to feel better for longer and extend their careers. 

Critics point out that the concept is not only legally questionable, but actually very dangerous to athletes' health. Critics also note that the Enhanced Games sets a terrible example for young athletes around the world who will witness the glorification of a doping arms race rather than sport based on integrity, fairness, and determination. 

Travis Tygart, the Chief Executive Officer of USADA, has commented, “While those behind the Enhanced Games might be looking to make a quick buck, that profit would come at the expense of kids across the world thinking they need to dope to chase their dreams. We desperately wish this investment was being made in the athletes who are currently training and competing the real and safe way. They are the role models this world so desperately needs and they are the ones who deserve our support – not some dangerous clown show that puts profit over principle.”