Enhanced Games would be ‘a ludicrous race to the bottom’ - SAIDS
The event will allow athletes to compete while using performance-enhancing drugs - under medical supervision.
- Lester Kiewit
- Good Morning Cape Town with Lester Kiewit
- South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS)
Athletes running on athletics track. Image: Nicolas Hoizey on Unsplash
CapeTalk’s Lester Kiewit speaks with Khalid Galant, CEO of the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS).
Listen below:
For decades athletes have been banned from using substances that could potentially improve their performance.
But what would happen if those barriers were removed?
That is what the Enhanced Games, set for May 2026 in Las Vegas, is aiming to find out.
In these games, athletes will compete using performance-enhancing drugs, under medical supervision.
The goal is to ‘champion scientific progress in sport,’ and offers million dollar prizes for record-breaking performances from athletes.
However, anti-doping bodies and health experts have strongly opposed the concept, warning that it could pose serious health risks.
Galant argues that it will take advantage of vulnerable athletes who would be putting themselves at risk to win the massive prizes.
The athletes would also be at risk of being banned from their sports for violating anti-doping codes.
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“It would be a race to the bottom.”
- Khalid Galant, CEO of SAIDS
“From our perspective it is a ludicrous idea.”
- Khalid Galant, CEO of SAIDS
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