They will be played on May 24 in Las Vegas. In a world where clean sport struggles to maintain its purity, a very controversial proposal continues to make its way, a project that challenges all the ethical principles of sport: the ‘Enhanced Games’, something like … the ‘Powered Games’ or simply, ‘The Doping Games’. This competition, backed by investors such as Saudi Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed and Donald Trump Jr., not only allows the use of doping substances, but encourages it, presenting it as a “scientific advance” or as the search for the maximum limits of human performance without any barrier. And now, in his desire to attract attention, he is offering a million dollars to the athlete who is able to surpass Usain Bolt’s legendary record in the 100 meter dash: those mythical 9.58 seconds that the Jamaican achieved when flying along the blue track of the Olympiastadion in Berlin one afternoon in the summer of 2009.
Fred Kerley was the first high-level athlete to sign for the ‘Enhanced Games’. The Texan sprinter, 100-meter world champion in 2022, was sanctioned last summer for failing to appear for surprise doping controls on three occasions. A few months later he announced his participation in the Doping Games.
The question for the experts is a must. Could an athlete like Kerley, who has run the 100 meters in 9.76, improve Bolt’s 9.58 by doping with anabolics? The person who responds to ABC is Dr. Xabier Leibar, one of the leading Spanish experts in physical performance. “Well, I see it as complicated,” he reflects.
And he adds: «We are talking about practically two tenths of a second of improvement. It seems like a lot to me and I dare say no. What I do believe is that Bolt would have improved that time if he had doped. Dr. Leibar also remembers the case of the New Zealand rugby player Jonah Lomu: «He had an enormous physique. He died at the age of 40 with kidney problems and it was said that he had taken exorbitant amounts of creatine. And maybe something else.
«I find it difficult for Bolt’s 9.58 to improve; “What I do believe is that Bolt would have improved that time if he had doped.”
Doctor Leibar
Physical performance expert
And what do the sprinters think? Ángel David Rodríguez, the best of the Spaniards, doubts that the American can beat the Jamaican’s record «Not at first. Kerley tends to fail a lot. It would take many races and find the ideal conditions in one of them. I don’t think he’ll make it in Las Vegas, and we’re talking about an athlete who, theoretically, I insist, theoretically, would have run in 9.76 without doping. Also, who is going to supervise the operation of the stopwatches for this competition? Because this is a show, it is entertainment, it is betting, it is television, it is creating content for the networks. The risk is that, if this is successful, if real money appears here, in the long term there may be athletes who leave real sport and get into this.
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“The risk is that, if this is successful, if money appears here, there may be athletes who leave the sport and get into this”
Angel David Rodriguez
Best Spanish sprinter
The Doping Games are presented as a “revolution” where athletes can explore their maximum potential without the restrictions of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). But is this sport or a dangerous experiment? “Actually, seeking the world record has always been the ultimate goal of my career,” Kerley declared in a statement last September, upon joining the project. The American sprinter, who has competed in the Tokyo and Paris Olympic Games, sees this platform as an opportunity to, while still serving his doping ban, once again make the front pages of the press. Obviously, any record achieved in May at Resorts World Las Vegas will not be recognized by World Athletics or any official body.
The last athlete to join this ‘anabolized’ 100 meters test, this week, was the British Prescod, European runner-up in the 100 meters. The English sprinter, who has been “very excited” about his participation in this competition, has received very severe criticism from the British Athletics Federation. «It is very disappointing to see an athlete from our country join an event that celebrates the use of performance-enhancing drugs. “We believe in talent, dedication and respect for the rules,” said the president, Jack Buckner, himself a former European 5,000 meters champion.
The Doping Games are not just about athletics: swimming will also play an important role in Las Vegas. Australian James Magnussen, a three-time Olympic medalist, retired from mainstream sport to join, lured by prizes including $250,000 for first place in each event and an additional $250,000 bonus for breaking world records in swimming. The offer rises to one million dollars for ‘star’ events, such as the 100 meters or the 50 meters freestyle. Magnussen describes his participation in Las Vegas as “one of the best decisions of my life”, and ignores the warnings: World Aquatics has threatened lifetime bans for any participant in this event.
Excited
The CEO of the Enhanced Games, Maximillian Martin, celebrates the arrival of figures like Kerley or Magnussen: “We are excited to see an elite athlete like Fred chase a record that has not been touched in 16 years.”
But behind the pomp, serious questions emerge about the athletes’ health. The use of steroids and other banned substances can lead to heart problems, kidney problems and irreversible damage. Is a million dollars worth risking your life? British swimmer Ben Proud, world champion in the 50 butterfly and 50 freestyle, who has also confirmed his participation in Las Vegas, puts it in perspective: “The prize for a single race in these Games would be equivalent to what he would win if he achieved 13 world titles under the rules of clean sport.”
“The prize for a single race in these Games would be equivalent to what I would win if I achieved 13 world titles under the rules of clean sport.”
Bend Proud
British swimmer
Spain, unfortunately, is no stranger to doping: we are among the top 15 in the world ranking of detected cases, a shame that tarnishes our sport. Proposals such as Enhanced Games may perhaps perpetuate this scourge, disguising it as innovation. While Bolt, Trelawny’s lightning bolt, remains the undisputed king of speed, these ‘Powered Games’ appear as a tremendous mystery, harshly criticized by the international sports community.
“This doping thing makes me very sad,” concludes Dr. Leibar. «I have always distanced myself from that world. I remember that once, a cycling manager approached me and offered to take charge of monitoring a cyclist who had won the Tour. He told me that he wanted me to follow up ‘freely’, that’s the word he used. That is a very delicate world and I answered no, that whoever goes to bed with children, wakes up wet.
Also The Mountain
Another of the attractions of the Doping Games is the attempt at a world record for deadlift lifting. It will be carried out by Hafpór Björnsson, who holds the current world record with the 510 kilos he lifted last July. The Icelandic strongman, well known for having portrayed the character of The Mountain in the television series ‘Game of Thrones’, is the only one in history who has managed to lift more than 500 kilos on three occasions in the ‘deadlift’ specialty.
There are less than five months until the Las Vegas event. In the world of conventional sport, which values human effort above all else, what message do these Games send by allowing doping to take center stage? From a scientific point of view, the big focus seems to be on the real effectiveness of anabolic steroids. Will Bolt’s 9.58 fall at the hands of a testosterone-infused sprinter?
