The sport world has been dealing with contempt athletes who have decided to attend the event that is being called “doped athletes’ Olympic Games.” But when an intelligent and “right” Olympic medalist announced that he will join them, the matter has returned to the headlines. Why did he accept this? Is it a warning for clean sport?
The official English name of this competition is “Enhanced Games” and comes from “Performance-Enhancing Drugs”, drugs that improve performance and are prohibited in professional sport.
Marked for 2026, in Las Vegas, it will allow swimming athletes, athletics and weight lifting to use substances banned by the worldwide anti -doping agency. Organizers promise to give US $ 250,000 to the winners and millions in case of breach of world records of the 50m Free, César Cielo, and 100m Rasos, Usain Bolt, but obviously would not be recognized by international federations.
American Fred Kerley, the 100m shallow world champion in 2022, is the latest to confirm participation. The sprinter is suspended for missing anti-doping tests and was arrested twice for fighting with police and why he would have punched his ex-girlfriend. It was easy to label the Enhanced Games athletes as maladjusted and dishonest. Until a name entered the play.
Ben Proud, silver in the 50m free in Paris-2024, is the first British to accept to compete in the tournament, also called “Horrors Show.” Only Proud, 30, is part of the “right.”
A few days ago, in an interview with the British newspaper The Times, he spoke about life dedicated to the sport, following rules, with immense effort and little financial return. Some of his arguments are undeniable: the financial pressure he feels because he and his wife want to have children; which does not understand why Britain does not give bonus to medalists in Olympic Games; who finds “outdated” the idea of competing only for the happiness of climbing the podium; which lost confidence in the system that should protect clean athletes, but allowed 23 Chinese swimmers to compete in Paris after having positive results for prohibited substances.
Let it be clear: whoever participates in something that celebrates and accepts doping is not a victim. The idea is abominable, nothing justifies its existence. Watching someone doped in search of a lie records are not funny.
But it is a fact that there are abyss among elite soccer players and athletes of other wages, sponsorship, exhibition, apart from insecurity by retiring young people, with their entire lives ahead.
Sebastian Coe, president of World Athletics, said that increasing awards could determine athletes from following Kerley’s example. I agree. In Paris, the International Athletics Federation was the first to offer $ 50,000 to the Olympic champions. In the World Championship played in Tokyo, Mondo Durantis won $ 170,000 ($ 905,000) for the gold in the jump and improvement of his own world record.
Sports managers have two options: ignore and disregard the Enhanced Games, or reflect on what is wrong in their modalities and makes athletes abandon the sport or think of joining this evil class.
Support the second option.
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