Billionaire Paypal founder Peter Thiel is pumping big dollars into a drug-friendly Olympic Games-style competition to rival the ancient games themselves.
The event is being styled as a ‘modern reinvention of the Olympic Games‘ and is supported by wealthy backers wanting to see how far technology and science can push the human body.
The Enhanced Games website makes claims that nearly half of current athletes are using performance enhancing drugs as its reasons for pushing for the new event.
“Backed by the world’s top venture capitalists, the Enhanced Games is the Olympics of the future. When 44% of athletes already use performance enhancements, it is time to safely celebrate science.”
Critics have argued that the event endangers both athletes’ health and sport itself, but the games founder and Oxford graduate Aron D’Souz has countered, stating it will promote innovation and science without exposing athletes to health risks.
The Enhanced Games has announced that it will not test athletes for drugs or other performance enhancers at its events, explaining they ’embrace the inclusion of science in sports’.
The drug-fuelled contest will reportedly be the ‘safest international sporting event in history’ where organisers ’embrace enhanced athletes’ while also welcoming ‘natural, adaptive, or enhanced, an amateur or a former Olympian’.
There has so far been no launch date for the event, but registration is due to open later this year and the organisers have already claimed in the Daily Mail that a British Olympian ‘who has worn a Team GB jacket’ hads expressed interest.
They add: “At least one British medallist had got in touch and that a British competitor from the Tokyo Summer Olympics wants to be involved. Some 900 athletes have already shown willing to take part.”
Anti-doping bodies are alarmed by the proposals, not least for safety reasons.
Jane Rumble, chief executive of UK Anti-Doping, said: “UKAD is extremely concerned by the concept of an Enhanced Games. The premise of sports competitions that allow performance enhancing drugs is unsafe, dangerous to athletes’ health and wellbeing and flies in the face of fair play.
“Clean athletes have campaigned for years for their right to compete on a level-playing field, to be able to represent their country and communities with honour and integrity, and to play with truth and honesty.
“Sport has a duty to care. Anti-doping, under the World Anti-Doping Code, exists today to protect fair and clean sport and to champion the rights of clean athletes.
“We believe competing is about respect, hard work and determination, not a dangerous game of endorsing drug use to enhance performance. We are committed to working with athletes to champion their rights, their health and their wellbeing.”
We just hope no one trips during the marathon.