'Utterly irresponsible and immoral' - Olympic committee warns pro-doping Enhanced Games could lead to deaths

A pro-doping alternative to the Olympics has been condemned as “irresponsible” and “immoral”, with leading athlete commissions raising concerns about the possibility of deaths.

The Enhanced Games, a sporting event that allows competitors to take performance-enhancing drugs, is scheduled to take place for the first time next May in Las Vegas, USA. It will include three sports in its first year – sprinting, swimming and weightlifting – with cycling slated to follow in year three.

In a joint statement published on Tuesday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) athletes commissions criticised the concept, calling it “a betrayal of everything that we stand for”.

“As athletes, we believe that the Enhanced Games or any events encouraging the use of performance-enhancing substances and methods are a betrayal of everything that we stand for,” the statement read.

“Most importantly, these events undermine the integrity of sport, and the responsibility athletes hold as role models in society. Promoting performance-enhancing substances and methods sends a dangerous message – especially to current and future generations of athletes.”

The statement went on to warn about “long-term health consequences” of doping, saying the substances can lead to “even death”.

“Encouraging athletes to use them is utterly irresponsible and immoral. No level of sporting success is worth such a cost," the commissions said.

“We stand firmly together for the values of fair play, ethical behaviours and respect – principles that have shaped our journey and that we believe should guide and inspire the next generation of athletes. We will do everything we can to protect the integrity of sport for generations to come.”

The Enhanced Games is a privately-funded competition, founded by Australian businessman Aron d’Souza in a mission to “build a new superhumanity”.

D’Souza told Cycling Weekly last year that it was a “classic misconception to say that performance-enhancing drugs are unsafe – it’s hysteria”.

Asked about the inclusion of cycling events, d’Souza said it “doesn’t make sense now from an economic standpoint”, but that some of the main Olympic cycling disciplines – time trial, road racing and track – were scheduled to be on the programme in future years.

Athletes who compete in the Enhanced Games, and take performance-enhancing substances, will undergo medical screenings.