Enhanced Games; trashed reputation. A pox on your house, James Magnussen

The Age

22-05-2025

Equally, I get your disappointment at missing out on that gold medal in London by a hundredth of a second. I get the temptation to earn a quick million bucks if you break the 50m world record.
But, James, what the RUCK, is the POINT?
If you wanted to see how fast you can go, outside the usual rules, why not – and I mean this as a serious point – wear flippers?
Would we spectators care to watch such a race? Of course not. And I have just as little interest in watching this corruption of commerce meets chemicals as the cameras roll.
There could be no race that more anathematic to the spirt of sport, and less anthemic. Yes, the Australian anthem, if you remember that? We were so proud of you, as you stood on the blocks in London.
Here you were, our best and brightest, putting your skill and will to the test. Not your pill. For who the hell cares which athlete on the blocks has the best chemist on his or her side? What has that got to do with sport? I suggest as little as it has to do with ethics.
Mate, look again at your own words to the Herald's Tom Decent:
'We tried a few different things ... The base of it was testosterone and then peptides. We used BPC-157, CJC-1295, Ipamorelin and Thymosin.'
BP what? CJC WHAT?
Who the hell cares whether your drugs are better than your opponents' drugs?
And who is this 'we'? You and people with white coats, so lacking in their own ethics – you heard me – they're prepared to use their medical skills to juice an athlete up and legitimise the illegitimate?
James, did I mention ... what are you doing?
You at least acknowledged that it didn't feel right the first time:
'I never thought I'd be sticking a needle with testosterone into my bum at any point in my life. You know what it is? It's that stigma you have from having been an athlete and hating the fact there were other athletes out there doing this.'
And you know what it is now, James? It's that a man such as you, should throw in his lot with organised cheating.
'You kind of get yourself in the headspace of this is a new frontier. It's separate, it's pioneering.'
No, mate, it's cheating. And it's dangerous. You can say what you like, but how can this whole concept not affect a certain number of teens who see you boasting about how great these drugs are – how you can train all day every day and get ever stronger – without wanting to try it themselves?
I could go on … and bloody well will!
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'If I had to sum it all up,' you said, 'I think it's exciting to be the first person to openly do this and be someone who'll be used as a case study for probably all future athletes at this event. It is really cool.'
Seriously? And if it works the way you want it, people all over the world will be sticking needles filled with drugs into their bottoms? That is pretty cool?
What the hell was it, then, when you were a clean Olympic athlete? Old-fashioned?
'Once people realise that enhanced games is the real deal,' you went on, 'it's happening .... The athletes need to see that first and it'll break down a lot of stigma and the barriers. I think there will be a flood of athletes coming over in year two.'
Great. So if this works and captures the public's imagination, you'll get more and more athletes leaving clean sport to engage in the Druggie Dome?
James, they won't.
The Druggie Dome will just be a byword for a one-off non-sporting cheatathon, a circus freakshow. It's the sporting equivalent of OnlyFans – there's hype, you can make money, but you have to sell your soul, credibility and dignity for it. And the tragedy of it is that your own once fine name will be forever associated with it.