Enhanced Games could 'turn away future athletes'

The Enhanced Games is a "reckless" venture that could dissuade athletes of the future from competing in sport, says the athlete commission of UK Anti-Doping (Ukad).

The commission - a group of current and former athletes advising Ukad - believes the Enhanced Games could "damage the integrity of world sport irrevocably."

The controversial event, scheduled to take place for the first time in 2026, allows athletes to take banned performance-enhancing drugs under medical supervision.

It has been criticised for endangering athletes' health and undermining fair play, though organisers say there are safety measures in place, including supervision from doctors and healthcare professionals.

Last week, Olympic swimmer Ben Proud became the first British athlete to sign up.

"The games represent a reckless departure from what sport is all about, and its fundamental values of fairness and integrity," read an athletes commission statement.

"We believe that celebrating performances achieved through doping goes against everything the world of sport should be striving for.

"Sporting performance on the world stage should serve to inspire the next generation, and our fear is that this competition will intimidate, demotivate and in effect turn away potential athletes of the future who may think the only way to succeed is through cheating."

UK Sport and Aquatics GB have condemned Proud's decision, while the British Olympic Association described the Enhanced Games as a "cynical and dangerous event".

Earlier this year, World Aquatics became the first international sport federation to ban athletes, coaches and officials from its events if they have taken part in the Enhanced Games.

Proud insists what he is doing is not undermining 'clean' sport, arguing "traditional sport" and the Enhanced Games are "two very different formats" - adding he has no plans to return to traditional swimming.

The 30-year-old, a silver medallist in 50m freestyle at the 2024 Olympics, says it would take "13 years of winning a World Championship title" to earn the same amount of prize money on offer for winning a single race at the Enhanced Games.

The Enhanced Games offers appearance fees, with a $1m bonus on offer for breaking the world record for the 50m freestyle - the event in which Proud has won world and European gold.

Speaking in 2024, the event's founder Aron D'Souza said athletes - able to openly seek performance-enhancing drugs, rather than buy them from shady, illicit sources - will actually be safer at the Enhanced Games.

"Part of our liberation is the liberation of information," he told BBC Sport.

"Bodily autonomy is a fundamental human right. Adults with free, informed consent should be able to do with their body what they wish.

"Individuals should be able to make risk decisions for themselves."