'Enhanced Games': A desecration of sport

Editor's note: Anthony Moretti, a special commentator for CGTN, is an associate professor at the Department of Communication and Organizational Leadership at Robert Morris University in the U.S. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily those of either CGTN or Robert Morris University.

If asked to think about the Olympic Games, the pageantry of the event and respect for the athletes would likely be high on everyone's list.

But something far less noble is coming to the United States. The "Enhanced Games" are scheduled for late May, 2026, and the premise behind this desecration of sport is that the competitors are allowed to use – and in fact are encouraged to use – performance-enhancing drugs.

You read that correctly: A sporting competition, which the organizers claim has legitimacy, is predicated on the athletes being allowed to be stuffed with steroids.

Needless to say, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which is responsible for ensuring competitions such as the Olympics are drug free, is outraged. In as clear a statement as possible, WADA announced that it condemned the "Enhanced Games as a dangerous and irresponsible concept," adding that "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."

China Anti-Doping Agency has also issued a stern rebuke, noting the "Enhanced Games" is actually "a distorted competition that turns pure sports competition into a drug contest, which seriously contradicts the purpose of the World Anti-Doping Code," and its holding will seriously threaten the physical and mental health and sportsmanship of athletes.

At least for now, such warnings are falling on deaf ears.

The organizers, and one of U.S. President Donald Trump's sons is providing the financial backing, are making an illogical argument that the "Enhanced Games" are reputable because real-time scientific study of how steroids and similar drugs affect athletes will take place. Using this "logic," then human beings ought to be placed in houses engulfed in flames in order to evaluate how their physiology is affected by fire and fear.

Let's not mince words here: No reasonable person should accept the nonsense being peddled about legitimate scientific inquiry; the "Enhanced Games" are a legal, but grossly unethical, attempt to make money. One hopes that if this despicable event does take place in 2026 that it is never repeated.

Sadly, this cash-grab idea emanating in the United States should come as no surprise. Scripted wrestling events have been wildly popular in this country for decades, and the success of one organization has led to the formation of a few others. Kids are often in attendance or watching from home as the mayhem ensues.

Men and women pretending to pummel the opponent are considered worthy of being on television in the U.S. The success of "pro" wrestling led to the even more brutal mixed martial-arts, in which the goal is to inflict as much punishment as possible on an opponent before he or she quits or is knocked out. No scripting here; the violence is real. Once again, kids are in the arena or watching from home as the carnage ensues. These repulsive acts are easily accessible on television.

The creation of the "Enhanced Games" continues the reckless slippery slope in the undermining of sport inside the U.S., which then eagerly exports such monstrosities across the globe. The saying "children live what they learn" echoes loudly the more one thinks about the absence of scruples within the people backing this ethical minefield.

Although it is highly unlikely that the "Enhanced Games," should they develop a sufficient following and take place on a regular basis, will pull thousands of young athletes away from choosing sports such as baseball or soccer, the grim reality is that they are certain to impress upon some children that fame and fortune can be had through taking a dangerous cocktail of performance-enhancing drugs.

Adding to the ethical disaster associated with the "Enhanced Games," winning athletes will receive substantial financial rewards, especially if they break Olympic records in the 100-meter dash and the 50-meter freestyle swim. Granted, neither the International Olympic Committee (IOC) nor the governing bodies of those sports will recognize such achievements, but there will be nothing to stop an "Enhanced Games" champion from claiming to be the world's fastest runner or swimmer. In the murky sports sponsorship world, such an "honor" could lead to lucrative advertising deals.

WADA has sought to fight the good fight in seeking to eliminate performance-enhancing drugs from international sport. Meanwhile, the IOC has worked tirelessly to advance the idea of international sport advancing world peace.

What good fight will the "Enhanced Games" undertake? Simple. None. The organizers are not interested in anything virtuous. Instead, they want to earn a profit, and there will be zero regard for whether the competing athletes suffer short- or long-term challenges from using steroids. What a disgrace!

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