Fred Corley, the famous American sprinter and Olympic men's 100-meter runner-up, was suspended for two years for violating anti-doping regulations, but he will appear at the Enhanced Games, which encourages the use of doping. In addition, Hunter Armstrong, the former world record holder in the men's 50-meter backstroke and double Olympic gold medalist from the United States, also announced his participation.
Corley (centre) was banned by World Athletics for doping violations, but he will appear at the Enhanced Games
On May 21st, the Enhanced Games will open in Las Vegas, USA. This special event, in the name of breaking through the limits and with high bonuses as bait, has attracted 35 athletes to participate. However, it has been controversial since its inception for ignoring competitive fairness and sacrificing the health of athletes.
"Medicine Games" wins the favor of capital and plans to be listed on Nasdaq
The Enhanced Games, founded in 2023 by Australian entrepreneur Aaron de Souza, encourages athletes to use doping, with the aim of pushing humanity towards a "new superhuman era". He once compared this event to F1 – F1 is "athletes and engineers working together to make the car faster", while the Augmented Games is "athletes and scientists working together to make the athletes faster". According to the official website of the event, 14 swimmers, 12 track and field athletes and nine weightlifters have announced their participation.
This disruptive concept has attracted the favor of a lot of capital. Peter Thiel, co-founder of the online payment service provider PayPal, took the lead and became the core investor of the event; Saudi Prince Khalid bin Walid followed closely behind. Donald Trump Jr., the US president's son, called the Augmented Games "real competition, real freedom, real records smashed" and the centerpiece of the "Make America Great Again" movement. He spearheaded multimillion-dollar financing for the Enhanced Games.
At the end of last year, Enhanced Games announced that it planned to be listed on the Nasdaq exchange and is currently awaiting final approval from regulatory authorities. The sports world and capital market were shocked. This means that this controversial event that supports athletes’ doping has become a huge gamble related to profit realization in the eyes of investors.
For many players, money is the biggest attraction. The event has three major events: swimming, track and field, and weightlifting, with individual prizes of US$500,000. If the men's 100-meter dash and 50-meter freestyle break the world record, an additional US$1 million will be awarded.
The reason why Armstrong, the Olympic swimming champion, participated in the competition was the high prize money
When swimmer Shane Ryan decided to participate in the Enhanced Games, he didn't hesitate at all: "I thought: OK, this time I have to do something for myself and make some money." He has represented Ireland in three Olympic Games in Rio, Tokyo and Paris, but many years of professional sports experience have not brought him a stable income.
Benjamin Proud, the 31-year-old men's 50-meter freestyle runner-up at the Paris Olympics and British star, said frankly that the main reason for participating is the "huge financial incentive": "Olympic athletes have practiced so hard all their lives, but they can't get decent compensation at all, which makes me very painful." He hopes that future athletes can benefit from diversified financial support and no longer have to sacrifice their sports dreams for livelihood.
"If it is allowed to grow, sooner or later someone will die."
The Enhanced Games were unanimously condemned by the traditional sports community for trying to provide athletes with "life-changing income" in the form of huge prize money. The traditional sports community’s resistance to enhanced games is clear and resolute. The International Olympic Committee's Athletes' Commission and the World Anti-Doping Agency's Athletes' Council issued a joint statement last year saying that the use of banned substances and participation in enhanced games "are a betrayal of everything we stand for." The World Swimming Federation has even introduced new regulations prohibiting any athletes associated with the Enhanced Games from returning to traditional events.
Concerns about the health of athletes have become the focus of condemnation from all walks of life for the enhanced games. Before a "new superman" can be created, augmentation sports will most likely cause injury or even death to athletes. Matt Fedoruk, chief scientific officer of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), said bluntly: "These drugs are banned not just because they can make athletes stronger and faster, but also because they have been proven to be dangerous to athletes, and some of the side effects are even irreversible." Australian Sports Commission Chairman Kieron Perkins also expressed concern: "If we allow it to develop and grow, sooner or later someone will die."
Richard Godfrey, the former chief physiologist of the British Olympic Committee and now a senior lecturer at Brunel University in London, is worried that the combined use of multiple drugs such as anabolic steroids, adaptogens, and growth hormone will have a chain reaction. He recalled a weightlifter who had been using anabolic steroids for 20 years and suffered a hip fracture. The steroids caused abnormal bone regeneration, leaving only 10% of joint mobility. "I watched him walk into the waiting room, put his hands on the chair in front of him, throw himself over and sit down because he couldn't even walk properly."
35 athletes have announced their participation in the Enhanced Games
This "clown show" also provides an opportunity for people to examine the dilemma faced by athletes. Due to the low degree of marketization of some sports, even if athletes are at the top level, it is difficult to obtain stable income during their sports career.
Fedoruk said he could not identify with the Augmentation Games, but he admitted that if he were 20 years younger, he might be tempted by money. He believes that athletes need more diversified income: "We extremely hope that this investment can be invested in athletes who train and compete in a real and safe way. They are the role models that the world desperately needs and the people worthy of our support, rather than a dangerous clown show that puts profits before principles."
As Fedoruk said, the Augmentation Games are essentially a show for money and entertainment at the expense of health and sportsmanship. Now, the first Enhanced Games is about to kick off. Where will this bet with money and health go? Perhaps we will have to wait until Las Vegas in May to see the results for the first time.
