Niamh Shackleton
For many years, performance-enhancing drugs have been banned in competitive sports, but a new experimental sporting event will actually encourage it.
There have been dozens of controversies on the matter, most recently regarding Cleveland Cavaliers star Tristan Thompson, who was suspended from the NBA for 25 games for violating the league’s anti-drug programme.
Thompson was found to have ibutamoren and SARM LGD-4033 in his system - both of which can be used for performance-enhancing purposes.
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But billionaire Peter Thiel - who made his money investing in startups like PayPal and Facebook - doesn't think that drugs like these are necessarily a bad thing - and is now funding an Olympics alternative that allows doping.
Named the Enhanced Games, its website dubs it as 'the Olympics of the future'.
"When 44 percent of athletes already use performance enhancements, it is time to safely celebrate science," it continues.
Apparently, the Enhanced Games will aid scientists' research into nutritional supplements and biohacks that push the boundaries of human performance.
The Games are the brainchild of Dr. Aron D’Souza, who is rumoured to be sharing more details about the event in April ahead of this year's Olympics in Paris, France.
While performance-enhancing drugs can be dangerous, D'Souza insists that his version of the Olympics 'aims to be the safest sporting event in the world'.
As fundraising for the Enhanced Games continues, D'Souza told The New York Post that the amount raised so far was 'high single-digit millions' - a sum big enough to fund the first Games.
Billionaire Christian Angermayer of Apeiron Investment Group and Balaji Srinivasan, the former chief technology officer of cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, are also said to be backing the project.
Another difference between the Enhanced Games and the Olympics is that athletes will reportedly be paid.
"Eligible athletes will receive a base salary and compete for prize winnings, which will be larger than any other comparable event in history," the website states.
"The exact prize pool and compensation structure will be announced in mid-2024."
Allegedly, around 900 athletes have so far expressed an interest in potentially participating in the first ever Enhanced Games - including an Australian gold medallist who D'Souza wouldn't name.
Taxpayers traditionally pay for the Olympic stadiums erected in the hosting country, but D'Souza says that his Games will be paid for with private funds only.
Meanwhile, he's said to already be in negotiations with global television networks and streaming services about airing the event when it happens.