World Aquatics to ban participants of controversial Enhanced Games

CNN

2 days ago

World Aquatics, the governing body for all aquatic sports, has introduced a new rule that will ban those who participate in the controversial Enhanced Games.
The Enhanced Games says it is an 'alternative' to the Olympics and will allow athletes to use performance-enhancing drugs. Participants will not be tested and will be under no obligation to declare which substances they have taken in order to compete.
The inaugural games will take place in May 2026 and include events from swimming, weightlifting and athletics.
On Tuesday, World Aquatics released a statement introducing the new bylaw, which will be in effect immediately.
'Under the new Bylaw, individuals who support, endorse, or participate in sporting events that embrace the use of scientific advancements or other practices that may include prohibited substances and/or prohibited methods will not be eligible to hold positions with World Aquatics or to participate in any World Aquatics competitions, events, or other activities,' the federation said in a statement.
'This ineligibility would apply to roles such as athlete, coach, team official, administrator, medical support staff, or government representative.'
World Aquatics added that it would ban people on a case-by-case basis, while also encouraging federations at a national level to adopt a similar stance.
'Those who enable doped sport are not welcome at World Aquatics or our events,' said World Aquatics President Husain Al Musallam.
'This new Bylaw ensures that we can continue to protect the integrity of our competitions, the health and safety of our athletes, and the credibility of the global aquatics community.'
In response to the ban, Enhanced Games' president and founder Aron D'Souza said his organization stands with 'athletes and their support teams.'
'At the Enhanced Games, athletes have what traditional federations never gave them: choice, fairness, and real money,' he said in a statement sent to CNN Sports.
'We offer a medically supervised, safety-focused, science-driven arena – where performance is rewarded, not policed by outdated ideology.
'This ban isn't about protecting athletes. It's about protecting a monopoly.'
Since the start of the controversial program, Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev swam the men's 50 meters freestyle in 20.89 seconds, shaving 0.02 seconds off the long-standing world record, per Reuters
Gkolomeev finished fifth in the same event at the Paris Olympics last year.
But the competition has been widely criticized, including by those from a health perspective.
Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov, who exposed Russia's state-sponsored doping program – a massive, years-long effort which benefited more than 1,000 athletes between 2011 and 2015 – previously said that the new event is a 'danger to health, to sport.'
Similarly, Travis Tygart, the CEO at the United States Anti-Doping Agency, previously told CNN Sports that the concept was 'a dangerous clown show, not real sport.'
In the statement sent to CNN Sports Wednesday, the Enhanced Games said: 'Our mission is to protect and improve athlete well-being for those pushing the limits of human performance, and we have extensive safeguards in place to ensure we uphold this value.'