Latest news with #HusainAlMusallam
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
World Aquatics to ban participants of controversial Enhanced Games
Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev is one of the names involved in the new competition. - Enhanced Ltd. 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. Advertisement 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.' Advertisement 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.' Advertisement '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. Kristian Gkolomeev has already gone under the current world record in the men's 50m - Enhanced Ltd. 'We offer a medically supervised, safety-focused, science-driven arena – where performance is rewarded, not policed by outdated ideology.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. Advertisement 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.' For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at
New York Times
4 days ago
- Health
- New York Times
World Aquatics bans athletes who participate in Enhanced Games
World Aquatics has banned any athlete, coach or official from participating in their events if they have endorsed or competed in the Enhanced Games. The federation, that governs swimming, diving, high diving, artistic swimming, water polo, and open water swimming, is the first to adopt a no tolerance policy in the face of the new competition that allows athletes to compete and train using performance-enhancing drugs. Advertisement The new World Aquatics bylaw came into effect on Tuesday. The federation president Husain Al Musallam said in a statement: 'Those who enable doped sport are not welcome at World Aquatics or our events. '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.' This comes after Enhanced claimed Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev set two 50m freestyle world records in May, earning a $1m bonus in the process. The president and founder of Enhanced Games, Dr Aron D'Souza, responded by questioning the intentions behind the ban. He said in a statement to The Athletic: 'This ban isn't about protecting athletes. It's about protecting a monopoly. 'World Aquatics hasn't paid its athletes for decades. Now, faced with real competition and real momentum, they've fallen back on threats and bullying tactics.' He maintained that the Enhanced Games will give the athlete something that the federations cannot: 'At the Enhanced Games, athletes have what traditional federations never gave them: choice, fairness, and real money. 'We offer a medically supervised, safety-focused, science-driven arena – where performance is rewarded, not policed by outdated ideology.' The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has condemned the new competition as a 'dangerous and irresponsible concept'. The organisation said the new competition would jeopardize the health and well-being of athletes — their main responsibility — as it seeks to 'promote the use of powerful substances and methods by athletes for the purposes of entertainment and marketing.' Enhanced has been financed by a venture capital fund backed by Donald Trump Jr and billionaire Peter Thiel since it was founded in 2023. The controversial organisation's inaugural competition is due to take place in Las Vegas between May 21-24, 2026 and spans five sports: track and field, swimming, gymnastics, weightlifting, and combat sports. (Manan Vatsyayana/AFP via Getty Images)
CNN
4 days ago
- Health
- CNN
World Aquatics to ban participants of controversial Enhanced Games
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.'
CNN
4 days ago
- Health
- CNN
World Aquatics to ban participants of controversial Enhanced Games
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.'
Independent Singapore
4 days ago
- Health
- Independent Singapore
Enhanced Games to embrace 'superhumanity' — World Aquatics to ban athletes who support pro-doping tournaments
World Aquatics recently announced that athletes, coaches, and officials who support sporting events that encourage performance-enhancing drugs would not be allowed to compete at elite-level competitions from now on. Particularly, this decision aims toward the Enhanced Games, an event that openly embraces the usage of scientific and pharmaceutical enhancements for athletes. Husain al-Musallam, the organization's president, expressed: 'Those who enable doped sport are not welcome at World Aquatics or our events.' Furthermore, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) also warned that the Enhanced Games 'jeopardizes athletes' health and well-being' by encouraging the misuse of powerful substances and promoting methods that 'should only be prescribed, if at all, for specific therapeutic needs'. All about the Enhanced Games The Enhanced Games is an Olympic-style competition that is privately funded, and it was scheduled to happen in Las Vegas next May. This tournament allows the use of banned substances under the international anti-doping regulations. In this event, athletes will not be subjected to drug testing, and they may use customized pharmaceutical plans and programs, given that their usage is disclosed to event organizers. They also have an option to take part in clinical trials involving FDA-designated 'Investigational Medicinal Products.' This event will be launched on May 21-24, 2026, and it will include sporting events such as sprinting, swimming, and weightlifting. Moreover, organizers said that a prize money of up to $500,000 per event, with $1 million bonuses, will be offered for world records in the 100m sprint and 50m freestyle. Athletes like Australian swimmer and three-time Olympic medalist James Magnussen have committed to participating in the event so far. Aron D'Souza, the event's founder, promoted the Enhanced Games as a platform to embrace 'superhumanity', and a future where pharmaceutical and technological enhancements are normalized. Moreover, D'Souza stated that the anti-doping policy is 'outdated and hypocritical', and said that the Enhanced Games will provide a safer and more transparent alternative for athletes. See also The unwavering spirit of discus legend James Wong In a social media post, the organizers of the Enhanced Games shared: ' 🇺🇸 LAS VEGAS 2026… The first Enhanced Games are coming to Las Vegas in May 2026… World-class athletes in athletics, aquatics, and strength will compete to break records, win prizes of up to a million dollars, and redefine the limits of human performance.' Some netizens are in favor of this new event and shared their support in the comments section: 'Looking forward to this', '🔥 this is going to be epic', 'I'm definitely going to be there. 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥💲💲💲💲', 'this is what I was talking about', and 'This is incredible. Who needs program support? 🔥'
