Serious health risks Enhanced Games athletes face by taking PEDs as they hunt $1m prizes
A severe health warning has been issued to athletes competing in the Enhanced Games this Sunday (May 24) in Las Vegas, as the event allows competitors to use performance-enhancing substances without being subject to testing.
The world's first Enhanced Games is set to take place this weekend (May 24), with athletes competing across track, swimming, weightlifting, and strongman events.
Many former Olympians have decided to take part, despite the World Athletics president, Lord Coe, previously branding the event 'moronic'.
But the concept is simple: the multi-sport event will allow athletes to use performance-enhancing drugs without being subject to testing prior to any competition.
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The games have been heavily criticized, after enticing athletes in with enormous cash prizes of up to one million dollars for breaking a world 'record', all while pushing their bodies to the peak of human performance.
Creator of the event, Aron D'Souza, has a different take, and believes those competing in sports are entitled to do what they wish with their own bodies.
But a health expert has warned of the implications athletes taking drugs could face on Sunday, claiming that despite the rhetoric around the event, the human body does have 'limits'.
Amir Bhogal, Superintendent Lead Pharmacist and Director of Pyramid Pharmacy Group, warned that some of the symptoms athletes experience may be 'quietly' lingering in the background.
"One of the biggest concerns with steroid use is the amount of strain it can place on the cardiovascular system," he said.
The health expert added: "People taking performance-enhancing substances are already placing their body under intense physical pressure through extreme training schedules, and when you add enhancement on top of that, the body can end up operating under a level of stress that is difficult to sustain."
He noted that athletes competing on Sunday could experience 'dehydration, blood pressure spikes, abnormal heart rhythms, overheating and injury related to pushing the body beyond normal physiological limits'.
Bhogal further warned that the games could 'normalise enhancement culture' more broadly, noting that the athletes may have access to medical treatment, doctors, and testing that the 'wider public' do not.
"The concern is not just about the athletes themselves, but also the message it sends," the pharmacist said.
What are the rules on doping at the Enhanced Games?
Though the Enhanced Games allows athletes to use performance-enhancing substances to compete - such as testosterone, anabolic steroids, hormones and growth factors (including HGH and EPO), metabolic modulators and stimulants - there are still rules for them to follow.
It certainly isn't a free-for-all when it comes to using substances.
Competitors are limited to only using substances that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), meaning drugs such as cocaine, heroin and other illicit, non-prescription drugs are strictly prohibited.
However, there will be medical supervision for the athletes using performance-enhancing substances, which will see them undergo continuous physiological monitoring and medical profiling to prevent dangerous over-use
And it's important to note that athletes don't have to use these substances to compete - 'un-enhanced' athletes are also welcome to compete, which helps to establish a format that tests both medically augmented and entirely natural physical limits.
Mia Williams