Latest news with #Maga
BBC News
2 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Europe's US-backed conservatives hope this is their moment to go mainstream
It's been a big week in Europe for CPAC, the US Conservative Political Action Conference, with large gatherings in Poland and timing is crucial, ahead of Poland's presidential election run-off on Sunday, between a CPAC-backed nationalist, Karol Nawrocki, and the liberal Mayor of Warsaw Rafal Trzaskowski, which CPAC speakers describe as a "battle for Western civilisation".Traditionally a meeting place for conservative activists in America, CPAC's visibility has soared with Donald Trump back in the White House and his Maga (Make America Great Again) movement in undisputed control of the Republican party."This is not a gathering of the defeated, but of those who have endured," Hungary's nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban told the opening session on Thursday in Budapest. Describing President Trump as a "truth serum", Orban emphasised his vision of a new Europe, in what he calls "the Age of Patriots", based on the nation, the traditional family, and his version of Christianity. To tumultuous applause, he and other speakers derided the European Union's Green Deal, and complained of mass immigration and "gender and woke madness".In a congress hall replete with disco music, flashing lights, video clips, and celebrity show hosts, older politicians sometimes seemed dazzled by all the razzamatazz."Europeans do not feel safe in their own towns, homes, and countries," Orban said. "They are strangers in their own homes. This is not integration, it is population replacement."It was a theme echoed by his guests Alice Weidel of Germany's far-right AfD and Geert Wilders of the Netherlands' Freedom was a movement looking to reshape the whole European project with its own brand of conservativism, jettisoning the old EU speakers included Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and the leader of the Austrian Freedom party Herbert British Prime Minister Liz Truss was here too, with Australian ex-Prime Minister Tony Abbott and former Polish and Czech Prime Ministers Mateusz Morawiecki and Andrej Babis, alongside an array of influential Republicans and South American was even a representative from Rajendra Modi's BJP in India, Ram Madhav. In Warsaw on Tuesday, and then in Budapest too, speakers laid out the case for what one of them called "an international nationalist movement, a global platform for anti-globalist forces"."Unlike CPAC in the US, CPAC Hungary seems to have more intellectual substance. And it also serves as an opportunity - rare in Europe - for nationalist and populist politicians and activists to get together and network," Rod Dreher, a Budapest-based editor of the American Conservative told the BBC."Viktor Orban's promise to make Budapest the intellectual capital of dissident European conservatism has come true."Orban relishes that "dissident" theme, while more mainstream European conservatives like Germany's new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, keep their been a sense in Hungary and Poland this week that the Trump administration is here to pay back the support that Donald Trump received from nationalist leaders in Europe in his victory last November."If you elect a leader who will work with President Trump, the Polish people will have a strong ally," Kristi Noem, Trump's head of Homeland Security told the Warsaw CPAC conference. "You will continue to have a US military presence here… and you will have equipment that is American made, high quality." She did not say what would happen if Karol Nawrocki did not win on Sunday. While the Maga movement in Europe - translated by Viktor Orban into Mega (Make Europe Great Again) - sounds self-confident, it has also endured setbacks, most recently with the liberal mayor of Bucharest, Nicusor Dan, winning Romania's presidential Albania, Sali Berisha, the Maga-backed leader of the Democratic Party, lost this month's parliamentary election to the Socialist Edi Rama. Former Trump campaign strategist Chris LaCivita helped Berisha's in Austria Herbert Kickl's hopes of becoming chancellor were dashed by the formation of a new left-right coalition, which chose Christian Stocker of the Austrian People's Party throne is even wobbling beneath Viktor Orban, the host of the conference in his message, so fresh in the ears of his US admirers, have gone stale for Hungarians? "If Nawrocki does not win in Poland, Hungary will be next and Viktor Orban will lose power," George Simion, the Romanian nationalist defeated by Nicusor Dan warned in Warsaw. Hungary's next parliamentary elections are due in April next are also cracks in the facade of and Russia remain a source of division. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was conspicuous by her there was bad news this week for Viktor Orban - the Hungarian fertility rate fell to 1.28 in April, almost as low as when he came to power in 2010, despite 15 years of tax and home-building incentives to encourage couples to have more as the chairs were packed away in the congress hall in Budapest on Friday evening, there was a mood of elation, eyes trained on the run-off in Poland.
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First Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
Trump's Maga: America's isolationist push that's ‘absolutely obsessed with foreign countries'
Trump's Maga programme talks about America's withdrawal, but its real foreign policy seems to look for control of global diplomacy without any nuances that diplomats have practised for decades read more Even though the Maga movement often talks loudly about 'America First' and says it wants to keep the US out of foreign problems, what it actually does on the world stage is more complicated. President Donald Trump and his deputy Vice President JD Vance often say that wars in places like Gaza and Ukraine are 'not America's wars'. But in reality, they still get very involved in global affairs—not by sending troops or starting new partnerships, but by interfering through diplomacy, spreading certain narratives and making symbolic gestures. This shows more of an obsession with world events than a true withdrawal from them. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Maga movement believes in national independence and staying out of other countries' business. But at the same time, it keeps stepping into the internal politics of other nations—for example, criticising UK leaders over free speech or pressuring South Africa's president about false claims of genocide. This creates a clear contradiction: while Maga talks about pulling back from the world, its actions show a strong desire to shape other countries based on its own beliefs. Gaza: Not our war, but always our deal Trump has insisted that the ongoing conflict in Gaza is not America's war, and yet the White House under his leadership has leaned heavily into the crisis, not just rhetorically but diplomatically. Trump reportedly expressed intense frustration recently over the Gaza war, viewing it as the final impediment to West Asia peace and prosperity. White House officials described his visible upset at images of Palestinian suffering and his efforts to pressure Israel into opening crossings for humanitarian aid. Despite the administration's disavowal of direct involvement, Trump worked actively behind the scenes to influence the conflict's trajectory. He reportedly urged the Israeli government to 'wrap it up' and facilitated a backchannel deal that led to the release of US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander. His frustration with the stalemate even prompted broader appeals for a ceasefire and post-conflict reconstruction of Gaza. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president was 'working overtime' to resolve both the Gaza and Ukraine conflicts. So, even though Trump says that the war in Gaza isn't America's problem, he still seems to believe that trying to make a peace deal—or at least looking like he is—helps build his image as a key global negotiator. This shows that Maga's idea of isolationism isn't really about stepping away from the world. Instead, it's about carefully choosing when to get involved, mainly in a way that looks good and helps them take credit or control the story, rather than actually trying to bring peace or stability to the region. Ukraine: Disengaged, yet deeply involved Trump has repeatedly said that Ukraine is not America's war, echoing the MAGA line of distancing from entangling alliances and European squabbles. And yet, the administration's engagement has hardly resembled detachment. On May 26, Trump lambasted Vladimir Putin on social media platforms for what he described as the largest drone and missile assault of the Ukraine war, calling the Russian president 'absolutely CRAZY' and 'playing with fire'. In the same breath, Trump scolded Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, blaming his tone for making matters worse and warning that it 'better stop'. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In public and private statements, Trump has straddled a line between peacemaker and critic. Just days before the Russian escalation, he reportedly spent two hours on the phone with Putin, attempting to negotiate a ceasefire. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov acknowledged the US administration's 'emotional' involvement and thanked Trump for pushing peace talks — a curious gesture to someone claiming to disengage. Trump's frustration reveals more than just concern. It points to a fixation. His warning that Putin's escalation could lead to Russia's downfall, and his floating of new sanctions, show that he remains deeply involved in the conflict's outcomes, even while insisting it is none of America's business. The Maga line on Ukraine is not one of classic non-intervention, but rather of frustrated puppeteering: pulling strings without boots on the ground. The India-Pakistan ceasefire story Perhaps the most revealing example of Maga's obsession with foreign entanglements is Trump's self-proclaimed role in the India-Pakistan ceasefire — a claim India has repeatedly denied. Trump claimed that the 10 May-ceasefire between India and Pakistan was only achieved after he offered both countries trade access with the US, leveraging tariffs as a diplomatic cudgel to prevent all-out war. His Commerce Secretary Howard W Lutnick repeated the claim as the Trump administration faced legal troubles over domestic policies. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But India strongly rejected these assertions, saying the ceasefire was the result of direct military-to-military negotiations following India's Operation Sindoor, launched in retaliation for a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam. The Trump administration's version of events, including its suggestion that trade deals averted catastrophe, was dismissed outright. The contradiction is telling. The Maga claim about non-interventionism in global affairs crumbles in the face of Trump's eagerness to take credit for complex foreign events. The India-Pakistan situation is an especially egregious case — not only because Trump's involvement is disputed, but because it exposes a willingness to distort diplomatic history in service of political theatre. This is less about isolationism and more about inserting America into every international development, whether the facts support it or not. Myth of the modern isolationist Ganesh, writing in the Financial Review, questions the idea that Trump is truly an isolationist. During Trump's first term, the US bombed Syria and killed Iran's General Qasem Soleimani—clear signs that America was not pulling away from the world. Still, the media often calls him an 'isolationist,' maybe because the truth—that the US under Trump became more unpredictable and picked fights in a selective, aggressive way—is harder to define and more uncomfortable to face. The Maga movement doesn't want to leave the world stage. Instead, it wants to reshape the world to match its own views. Maga's energy is often aimed not at foreign enemies, but at people who don't share its beliefs—including America's own allies. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It no longer promises to protect Nato countries, but instead criticises European leaders about moral and cultural matters. Trump's supporters show this clearly. Vance says fights like the one between India and Pakistan are 'none of our business,' but still gets involved in issues like free speech in the UK or Christian persecution in Africa. This isn't isolationism—it's a kind of ideological expansion without using the military. The goal isn't peace by stepping back, but control through stories, influence, and culture wars. Maga's global interest hides behind an anti-globalist message, but in truth, it wants to change worldwide norms to match its own views—or at least make sure its ideas are heard everywhere. Maga's interest in foreign policy is mostly focused on influence, not traditional power. The US might not have as much hard power as it once did, but as Ganesh pointed out, it still has the biggest cultural and media platforms in the world. Maga leaders such as Elon Musk (until very recently) and Vance grew up in a time when public commentary and showmanship started to matter more than real diplomacy or long-term strategy. In their worldview, the main goal isn't solving problems—it's about putting on a show. Trump's efforts to appear as a peace-broker in Gaza, his mixed messages about both Putin and Zelenskyy and even his made-up role in the India-Pakistan ceasefire aren't really about getting results. They're about shaping a story or creating one. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Not isolation, but ideological export Trump's Maga doctrine is not the return of American isolationism. It is something more erratic and, in many ways, more destabilising. It abandons traditional alliances and commitments but replaces them not with quiet withdrawal, but with symbolic posturing, bombast and unsolicited commentary on the moral fibre of other nations. In Trump's second term, the contradiction is sharper than ever. He tells Americans that foreign wars are not their concern, yet cannot resist the temptation to intervene rhetorically, claim victories, assign blame and positions himself as the indispensable figure on the world stage. This is not a coherent foreign policy. It is a compulsive need to be at the centre of all things global — an America that refuses to lead with responsibility but cannot bear to be left out of the conversation. The Maga movement may talk about pulling back, but in reality, it is more invested in foreign affairs than ever — just not in any way that promotes stability or truth.
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Irish Examiner view: Trump tariff plan in disarray just as his biggest cheerleader exits
Readers may be forgiven for imagining that they hear the high squeal of brakes drifting across the Atlantic, with news that US president Donald Trump's controversial tariff programme has been stopped and declared illegal by an American court. The US Court of International Trade in New York found that the legislation cited by Mr Trump as the basis for imposing massive increases in tariffs — the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act — does not, in fact, authorise the use of tariffs. Because of the singular nature of the Trump presidency, it is not clear yet whether the White House will abide by this ruling. It has already appealed the decision formally but it is entirely conceivable that the administration will simply carry on in defiance of the court's finding. Nevertheless, this decision is instructive on its merits, as it shows what happens when established legal procedure encounters the wilder edge of Maga decision-making. Trump has been using tariffs as an on-again, off-again threat since he took office, and the result has been uncertainty and chaos rather than a revitalised US economy. It was significant, for instance, that Wall Street and other financial markets reacted positively to the court ruling yesterday, itself a telling referendum on the global view of Trump's economic agenda. The tariff regime wasn't the only speed bump encountered by the White House this week. Billionaire Tesla and X owner Elon Musk has left the administration, though he indicated that DOGE (his Department of Government Efficiency) would continue to operate. Mr Musk's involvement was always envisaged as temporary and his departure was no shock, but it comes just days after he said Trump's budget bill, which proposes multi-trillion dollar tax breaks and a boost to defence spending, was 'disappointing'. It would be wrong to say the Maga project is in a terminal crisis, as a state of roiling uncertainty is its operating mode. Still, questions can legitimately be asked about the scatter-gun approach Mr Trump took in his first 100 days when his biggest cheerleader is gone and his economic masterstroke is illegal. CHI-HSE merger plan The ongoing chaos at Children's Health Ireland took a new turn this week with suggestions that health minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, was considering subsuming CHI into the HSE. This follows the eye-opening series of controversies at CHI, which functions as the operator of paediatric healthcare in Ireland. Those controversies range from the Health Information and Quality Authority revelations about spinal operations on children at Temple Street Children's Hospital to the independent audit of hip surgeries on children at Temple Street and Cappagh Hospitals. More recently, we learned of an internal CHI report which found that a consultant had breached guidelines by referring public patients to his private clinic. The cumulative effect of these revelations has been to create a negative image of CHI — of an organisation operating without the appropriate level of oversight when it comes to the clinical care of children, its raison d'être. The revelations have already had a serious impact on the CHI's upper management structure. Since these matters came into the public domain, four board members and the previous chairman have all resigned. With this background in mind, it is reasonable to ask if CHI can possibly survive in its current form, but opposition to the organisation merging with the HSE emerged quickly yesterday. Irish Voluntary Healthcare Association CEO Mo Flynn told this newspaper: 'The Irish Voluntary Healthcare Association does not support any attempts to subsume voluntary hospitals under the aegis of the HSE. This would be a highly complex process with no clear practical benefits to patient care.' This seems an eminently reasonable point to make — if there is no apparent benefit to patients, why undertake such a challenging task? It is also worth remembering that CHI was established in 2019 to govern and operate paediatric services in Ireland, and to operate the new national children's hospital. That project has had its own travails but, given what we have learned recently, whenever it opens, is Children's Health Ireland fit to operate it? Bord Bia Bloom's strong roots This is the 19th year of the Bloom festival and it appears to be going from strength to strength. Bord Bia Bloom, to give its full title, is an annual highlight for the thousands of gardening enthusiasts who flock to it — more than 100,000 people are expected to attend Bloom in the Phoenix Park over the coming five days. While the image of gardening may be that of a quiet, solitary pursuit, Bloom is a bustling hive of activity. Visitors can enjoy some 21 show and feature gardens, including Super Garden 2025, created by Laois native Debbie Brophy. They can also take in some of the live cookery demonstrations, or one of the dozens of talks, workshops, and performances. Interestingly, the festival is stressing climate change, the environment, and sustainable living as themes for this year. This is particularly welcome after the disappointing news this week that Ireland is 'going backwards' in our attempts to meet our greenhouse gas emission targets. If our ordinary citizens commit to fighting climate change as they tend their gardens then there is no reason why the Government cannot follow their lead.
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Trump is stretching his pardon power – to the delight of his Maga acolytes
Donald Trump pardoned the hosts of a reality TV show convicted of defrauding banks to fund their luxurious lifestyle in the same week that he pardoned a sheriff who accepted bribes from businessman in order to make them into law enforcement officers. The latest pardons build on Trump's pattern of granting clemency to people who align with him politically and who he believes were part of a justice system weaponized against conservatives, particularly Trump supporters. Trump, who was himself prosecuted by the federal government and state governments, is stretching US presidential pardon power beyond its norms, much to the delight of his Make America Great Again (Maga) acolytes and conservative lawmakers, who previously took former president Joe Biden to task for his last-minute pardons of his family members and allies. Trump started his second term with a massive act of clemency: granting pardons and commutations for all those convicted for their roles in the January 6 riot at the US Capitol, including some who had engaged in violence that day. Since then, he has pardoned a host of people convicted of fraud or public corruption, as well as a group of anti-abortion protesters who blocked access to a clinic. Those pardoned include the former governor of Illinois who now calls himself a 'Trump-ocrat', the founder of the Silk Road darknet online market, two police officers convicted for their roles in the death and coverup of a young woman, a former state senator in Tennessee, the founder of an electric vehicle company, a nursing home executive and a woman who collected money for a police memorial who used the money for herself instead. The moves to pardon people convicted of fraud and public corruption charges shows how the justice department is de-emphasizing these kinds of cases, NBC News reports. The pardons come alongside dropped public corruption cases, most notably one against New York City mayor Eric Adams. 'Pardoning a sheriff who took cash for deputy badges is just the latest in a string of actions this president has taken to undermine any effort to hold officials accountable to the public they are sworn to serve,' Stacey Young, a former justice department official, told NBC News. In several instances, the convicted or their attorneys made appeals to Trump by saying they were politically prosecuted for their views. The lawyer for Julie and Todd Chrisley, the reality TV stars pardoned on Wednesday, had put together binders to show the Trump administration why his clients should be granted clemency, the New York Times reported. Alex Little wrote in these documents that the Chrisleys' conviction 'exemplifies the weaponization of justice against conservatives and public figures, eroding basic constitutional protections'. Paul Walczak, a former nursing home executive, was pardoned by Trump for misusing employee tax money to fund his lifestyle, after his mother had attended a $1m per person fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago in April, the New York Times reported. In his bid for a pardon, he had brought up his mother's political connections, saying her role in raising money for Trump and boosting conservative causes motivated the Biden justice department to go after him. The office of the pardon attorney is typically run by a career appointee, not a political appointee chosen for their adherence to the president's agenda. Presidents at times go outside the pardon attorney's office for the less routine pardons, often for their political allies, as Biden did when he pardoned his family members. There are criteria the justice department would follow when considering a typical pardon application, including showing rehabilitation and remorse, though the president decides whether to act on their recommendation. Liz Oyer, the former pardon attorney who was fired for refusing to recommend gun rights restoration for actor Mel Gibson, told Newshour that Trump's use of pardons are 'not at all how pardons normally work'. His pardons show a pattern of people who have shown political loyalty or who are wealthy and well-connected, Oyer said. 'In the current administration, there is no path forward that we know of right now for ordinary people to be considered for clemency,' Oyer told Newshour. 'And the other thing that's really striking and shocking is that the president is granting clemency to individuals who owe tens of millions, hundreds of millions of dollars in restitution and fines and other financial penalties. And it's never been done by any other president.' Now, though, a political appointee is in charge. Ed Martin, the recently appointed pardon attorney, is a staunch Trump ally who advocated for pardons for January 6 defendants before he took a role in the administration. Trump also appointed a 'pardon czar' in February who will recommend people for clemency. Politico reported this week that, in Martin's first week on the job, he was reviewing an application for a full pardon for Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the far-right militia group who received a commutation from Trump as part of the January 6 clemency, but not a full pardon. Martin has said he will investigate Biden's preemptive pardons issued just before he left office. Some in Maga world are now pushing for federal pardons for Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer convicted in the killing of George Floyd, and Tina Peters, a Colorado election clerk convicted for allowing unauthorized access to election machines as part of a quest to find voter fraud. Both of these cases involve state crimes, Peters exclusively, but have become cause célèbre for Trump allies, who want to see the administration pressure for their release.
Daily Maverick
6 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Maverick
Trump Jr backs doping games: A grotesque venture into the world of performance enhancement
The Enhanced Games, an organisation for athletes using banned substances, has set its inaugural competition for May 2026 in Las Vegas. In a world where facts become increasingly optional and the lines between reality TV and real life are blurred, the idea of a sporting event celebrating doping isn't as far-fetched as it might have sounded two years ago. It should be, of course, but in the world we live in, the abnormal is becoming mainstream. The Enhanced Games, introduced to the world in 2023 as a concept to disrupt sport by pushing the limits of human feats with the aid of outlawed performance-enhancing drugs, is closer to reality. And in a world where the Trump family seems to be involved in everything, Donald Trump Jr is an investor in the controversial upstart. 'The Enhanced Games represent the future – real competition, real freedom and real records being smashed,' Trump Jr says on the Enhanced Games website, which features a video with clips of President Trump. 'This is about excellence, innovation and American dominance on the world stage – something the Maga movement is all about. The Enhanced Games are going to be huge, and I couldn't be prouder to support this movement that is changing sports forever.' Trump Jr is an investor through his 1789 capital company joining the likes of PayPal founder Peter Thiel, who is listed as co-founder. 'World record'? In February, according to the Enhanced Games, Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev set a 'world record' in the 50m freestyle – swimming's shortest sprint. The 31-year-old Gkolomeev, who never won a medal in four appearances at the Olympic Games, joined the Enhanced Games organisation as a guinea pig in their plan to remove all performance-enhancing drugs from sport. Naturally, Gkolomeev didn't come on board for altruistic reasons. He was paid $1m to take performance-enhancing drugs and set his 'world record' of 20.89 seconds. It should also be noted that he wore an outlawed skinsuit in the attempt that shaved two-hundredths of a second off the official world record, done while swimming alone in a pool. 🏆 FASTEST SWIMMER IN HISTORY 🇬🇷🇧🇬 Kristian Gkolomeev breaks: 🏊♂️ 50m Freestyle World Record ⏱️ 20.89 seconds 💰 $1,000,000 Prize 🇧🇷 Breaks Cesar Cielo's 2009 record (20.91) — Enhanced Games (@enhanced_games) May 21, 2025 Enhanced Games co-founder Aron D'Souza proclaimed this as a breakthrough and immediately encouraged more athletes to join the organisation. Its stated mission is to: 'redefine superhumanity through science, innovation, and sports'. 'He (Gkolomeev) should be retired, but in fact, he's swimming faster than any human being has ever done so. Why? Because he used technology and science to enhance his performance,' D'Souza said at a launch for the Enhanced Games in Las Vegas last week. 'Once the world realises that, I think everyone is going to want it. Every middle-aged guy who once played competitive sport and is now suffering from back pain is going to say, 'What is he on and how do I get it?'' Uncomfortable reality As much as the temptation is to dismiss the Enhanced Games out of hand as some sort of grotesque lab experiment, it appears to be well-funded and determined to make an impact. For the past two years, the concept has been scoffed at by many, including World Athletics president Sebastian Coe. He dismissed the Enhanced Games as 'bullshit', but it won't go away. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) doesn't talk about it, while World Aquatics was, at least, scathing: 'Like clowns juggling knives, sadly, these athletes will get hurt performing in this circus,' the watersport body said. 'History has shown us time and time again the grave dangers of doping to human health. This is a sideshow to those who compete honestly, fairly, and respect the true spirit of sport.' Travis Tygart, who heads the US Anti-Doping Agency (Usada), was also sceptical. In an interview with Daily Maverick last year, he expressed optimism that the Enhanced Games would not succeed. 'I don't think the answer is the Enhanced Games,' Tygart said. 'While it might be tempting and it might be easy to say and convenient for business people to say, 'we're going to create this', it's not. 'The answer is we (anti-doping bodies) have to win for clean athletes. 'We must make the rules and let everyone have an equal opportunity to play by those rules, and then let's enforce those rules with all the vigour that they deserve. 'I think it (Enhanced Games) is a profit scheme, and maybe it's gotten headlines. They've been on an incredible media tour. 'I don't believe any real athlete will want to go and compete. What they're proposing is illegal in many US states anyway. 'What they fail to recognise is that the cheating mentality is used a little bit more to get ahead. And so, they may have shifted the arms race where that line is, but the arms race will still exist.' Setting boundaries Enhanced Games claims that anti-doping is outdated and not working anyway, so let's do away with it. That's a simplistic view, because the policing of performance-enhancing drugs is about athlete safety as much as it is about enhancing performance. It undermines fair play and integrity, which is the most central criticism. Traditional sports are built on the ideal of fair competition, where victory is earned through natural talent, hard work and skill, not external chemical advantages. The Enhanced Games would completely discard this principle, creating an uneven playing field where success is determined by access to and tolerance for potent substances. Cycling has a long history of athletes dying as a result of doping. While the Enhanced Games claims to want to inject athletes with various chemicals in a controlled manner, that's also a wildly optimistic view. Budgets for doping and tolerance for drugs will vary massively from athlete to athlete. When you start without any apparent limits, where does it end? While Usada and the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada), among others, don't catch every cheat, they at least set out parameters and boundaries and try to police them. The goal of 'normal' sport is to achieve greatness by pushing the human body to its limits without performance-enhancing drugs. Enhanced Games wants the opposite through normalising doping and even exploiting athletes, particularly those who may be struggling financially or feeling alienated by the traditional anti-doping system. The promise of large prize money might entice athletes to take excessive risks with their health for short-term gain. Nonetheless, Enhanced Games has set its inaugural competition for May 2026 in Las Vegas. Participants could earn prize money totalling up to $500,000 per event, plus bonuses for surpassing a world record mark. For swimming, the 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 50m butterfly and 100m butterfly are on the agenda. Athletics has the 100m sprint along with the 110m and 100m hurdles, while weightlifting will feature the snatch and clean and jerk. The IOC and Wada cannot ignore the upstart much longer, though, because they appear to be here to stay, endorsed by a sitting US President's son and slowly gaining traction through financial reward. The IOC doesn't want to pay athletes at the Olympics and Wada's track record on dealing with doping issues, like the one that involved 23 Chinese swimmers in 2021, has weakened its position. Enhanced Games are nothing if not opportunistic, and they have seized the moment. A weakened Wada, a complacent IOC and a US government that seems, at the very least, unopposed to Enhanced Games, is a heady concoction for an organisation in the business of enhancing performance through any means. DM
