WADA condemns 'dangerous and irresponsible' Enhanced Games
New York: The
World Anti-Doping Agency
condemned the
Enhanced Games
as "dangerous and irresponsible" on Thursday, a day after the competition that endorses the use of banned substances announced its inaugural 2026 event.
The Enhanced Games operate under the principle that banning
performance-enhancing drugs
in major competitions does not protect athletes but rather stifles their performance, and called on athletes to join the competition.
"The health and well-being of athletes is
WADA
's number-one priority. Clearly this event would jeopardize that as it seeks to promote the use of powerful substances and methods by athletes for the purposes of entertainment and marketing," WADA said in a statement.
"Over the years, there have been many examples of athletes suffering serious long-term side-effects from their use of prohibited substances and methods. Some have died."
The
2026 Enhanced Games
, which will take place in Las Vegas from May 21-24, will include swimming, athletics and weightlifting events.
Organisers say that they will protect athletes while using technology and science to enhance their strength and speed, unlocking a new level of "superhuman" performances.
WADA called on anti-doping organisations to test athletes before, during and after the event, "to protect the integrity of legitimate sport."
"WADA warns athletes and support personnel who wish to participate in sport regulated by the World Anti-Doping Code, that if they were to take part in the Enhanced Games, they would risk committing
anti-doping rule violations
," said WADA.
"They would also put their reputations on the line, as they would risk forever being associated with doping."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
United News of India
30-05-2025
- United News of India
Banka, Yang elected third time as WADA president, VP
Montreal (Canada), May 30 (UNI) The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) confirmed that the third and final three-year term from 2026 to 2028 for its president Witold Banka and vice president Yang Yang. WADA's Extraordinary Foundation Board Meeting was convened online on Thursday to elect the new leadership of the international organization which is based here. "Today's result reaffirms our shared mission and values. Despite the many challenges we have faced over the past five and a half years, it has also been a period of transformation, of resilience, and of undeniable progress," said President Banka, the former sprinter-turned Minister of Sport and Tourism of Poland. "In our final term, we are committed to continue strengthening the global anti-doping system by elevating the athlete experience; expanding the impact of our science, development, compliance and intelligence work and much more," said Banka. He said WADA and its stakeholders around the world would meet the shared objectives and exceed them with the sole purpose of protecting clean sport. Yang, a former Olympic short-track speed skating champion, also expressed her gratitude for the Board's confidence and reiterated her commitment to spearheading WADA's increased emphasis on education and the role of athletes in charting the course for the future of anti-doping. "Serving as vice president has been the privilege of a lifetime, and I enter this final term determined and fully committed to continuing the meaningful work we do each and every day," said Yang, "I am grateful for the opportunity to spend another term alongside President Banka and look forward to devoting the next three and a half years to completing the work we started in 2020." WADA, established in 1999 as an international independent agency to lead a collaborative worldwide movement for doping-free sport, is composed of a 38-member Foundation Board, which is the agency's highest policy-making body.
United News of India
27-05-2025
- United News of India
Jannik Sinner overcomes late wobble to win Paris opener
Paris, May 27 (UNI) World number one Jannik Sinner defied a late wobble to begin his French Open campaign with a straight-set victory over Arthur Rinderknech. Playing his first Grand Slam match since serving a three-month doping ban, Italian Sinner beat his French opponent 6-4 6-3 7-5 on Court Philippe Chatrier on Monday. It was not as comfortable as the scoreline suggests, however, with the 23-year-old forced to fight back from a double break down in the third set against a resurgent Rinderknech. It marked a return to winning ways for Sinner after Carlos Alcaraz ended his run of 26 successive match victories in the Italian Open final earlier this month, the BBC reported. "First-round matches are never easy," he said. "I'm very happy with how I handled the situation, especially in the third set. "He made a couple of mistakes when he was serving for the set so that gave me some help. But I just tried to have the right mindset and attitude." Earlier on Monday, world number four Taylor Fritz became the highest-ranked player to exit this year's tournament at Roland Garros as he was beaten by Daniel Altmaier in the first round. Having saved three early break points in a cagey opener, Sinner was gifted the first set in an error-strewn service game from 75th-ranked Rinderknech, a backhand planted into the net on Sinner's first set point sending the Italian on his way. He broke at the second time of asking in the fourth game of the second set and eased through its remainder, dropping just a solitary point on serve. But his game temporarily crumbled in the third set as Rinderknech, buoyed by a partisan crowd in his home capital, won the opening four games to take a commanding lead. Normality soon resumed however as Sinner fought back to cancel out Rinderknech's break points, puncturing the atmosphere on the showcase court. From there he barely gave his opponent another sniff of a chance. Piling the pressure on the Frenchman's racquet, Sinner went a break up and sealed the match with a fierce serve Rinderknech, 29, could do little to match. Sinner will play French veteran Richard Gasquet in the second round. Former top 10 player Gasquet, 38, is playing the final tournament of his career at Roland Garros and beat compatriot and fellow wildcard Terence Atmane in his opening match. Sinner won his third major title at the Australian Open in January but has yet to reach the final at Roland Garros, exiting in the semi-finals 12 months ago at the hands of eventual champion Alcaraz. In February he accepted an immediate three-month ban after reaching a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) over his two positive drugs tests last year. That suspension ended earlier in May, meaning he was able to compete at his home tournament in Rome - where he dropped just one set en-route to the final against Alcaraz - before travelling to Paris for the second major of the year. UNI BM
Deccan Herald
24-05-2025
- Deccan Herald
China urges sports bodies to reject 'gladiator show' Enhanced Games
The Enhanced Games will debut in May 2026 in Las Vegas with swimming, athletics and weightlifting on the agenda for athletes using substances banned in official competition, to the dismay of anti-doping bodies like the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
