The inaugural edition of the Enhanced Games has garnered much attention this week, with several key announcements put out on the news waves.
Among the details revealed in just the past few days, we’ve learned the following:
- Brett Hawke was named head swimming coach
- Las Vegas was announced as the initial host, with the competition scheduled for May 23-25, 2026 at Resorts World Las Vegas
- A $1 million award will go to new world records in the 50-meter freestyle and the 100-meter dash, and $250,000 will be awarded for all other world records
- Andrii Govorov, the Ukrainian world record holder, said he will be competing
- Greek Olympian Kristian Gkolomeev went under the world record in the men’s 50 freestyle (LCM) during filming for the Enhanced Games’ documentary
- Aussie Olympic multi-medalist James Magnussen detailed the effects of using performance-enhancing drugs
Regarding the final bullet point involving Mangussen, one of his Aussie teammates has since spoken out about the Enhanced Games, with reigning 50m free Olympic champion Cameron McEvoy voicing his disapproval.
“It doesn’t count in any way, shape or form when you take drugs or wear one of the banned suits, or both,” 31-year-old McEvoy told The Age this week.
“It’s got no relevance to Olympic or World Championship 50-metre comps, or to the international rankings around them.”
McEvoy continued, “Another angle that concerns me is the unknown potential cost this has to the athletes long-term,” McEvoy said. “I understand there are some measures being put in place around the safety of those athletes throughout this process.
“But there are long-term negative health effects associated with maximised PEDs [performance-enhancing drugs] and further still, a lot of unknowns around just how serious those effects are.
“Humans in the past have underestimated what they don’t yet fully understand. For example, a quick look at the early misuse of radioactive materials serves as a warning. I am by no means an expert, but it seems unwise to think that in this context the prioritisation of performance over safety is immune to this same hubris.”
In the same article, Magnussen responded to McEvoy’s comments, replying, “If I was Cam, and I was going to be able to put a suit on and race for $US1 million [$ 1.56 million] – plus be paid as an athlete – for me, it would be a no-brainer.
“At this point for Cam, he sees it like a sideshow. If you stayed in the testing pool the whole time [by continually agreeing to take drug tests], then it shouldn’t be an issue. It seems like a free hit.” (The Age)
Magnussen and McEvoy represented Australia on the international circuit for a number of years and were both members of the nation’s bronze medal-earning men’s 4x100m free relay at the 2016 Olympic Games.
We reported how the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) vehemently disagrees with the concept of the Enhanced Games and is concerned for the long-term health of the athletes taking part.
“WADA condemns the Enhanced Games as a dangerous and irresponsible concept and is very concerned about its emergence,” WADA said in the statement. “The health and well-being of athletes is WADA’s number-one priority.”
It’ll go the way of other failed sports and entertainment endeavors. Just not that interesting to most people.
Idk maybe hot take based on the comments but it doesn’t seem like too big of a deal to me, like it’s just adults doing things to their own bodies (if kids are involved which I doubt, that’s a whole other issue). BH is a loser and I think it’s cringe when they post promo content of records being “broken” and conveniently leave out the fact that drugs + supersuits are involved, but like I don’t have an objection to the existence of the enhanced games itself
My issue and other people’s issues with this stems around how this may affect young swimmers and gives them the wrong idea of success. This will completely taint clean sport and influence athletes to possibly start doping to achieve success.
It’s the young athletes and hyper competitive parents of young athletes watching this with means to acquire PEDs that worries me. Think it’s far fetched? Some knuckleheads out there looking for unspoken permission to enter that realm. They are watching it unfold live now.
Money and performance is a hell of a lot more alluring than hard work and process for many, and as a society we are more undisciplined than ever. Adults are supposed to model that decision making for kids, not sit back and call steroid induced pursuits of $1mil no brainers, justified by medical supervision. Thats reckless. Let’s think about others before we act, yeah?
idk anything about pharmacological matters but whats stopping someone from “retiring” to be not subject to drug tests and then take drugs and train in secret? and then “unretiring” and returning to competition drug free but theoretically still retaining the performance benefits of those drugs?
Nothing, though that is no different today than it was last week.
To return from retirement, an athlete have to give 6 months notice and return to the testing pool during those 6 months. The presumption is that the 6 months of waiting will have some negative effect on the benefits of the doping, though I think logically we all know that not to be true. There could be kind of an odd timeline here with how long the substance takes to clear your body – you age, and have the negative benefits of aging, plus the additional six months. There are a lot of moving parts there.
It’s worth noting that you don’t have to test positive to be… Read more »
Magnussen is a disgrace.
Him only going 23 was a punchline one could see from the moment he announced his involvement and yet it it still hilarious
I bet I can beat the 50 free world record wearing a Blue70 and a pair of fins. Does anyone have Brett Hawke’s phone number?
I do!
Cam and every other elite swimmer worldwide should distance themselves from BH. Unfollow him and never go on his fraud podcast.
Take a look at BH in his IG stories (from last July) after Pan went 46.4 in Paris.
Even if he can compartmentalize the two as separate sports, the fact that Brett reacted so strongly after Pan Zhanle’s WR in Paris, and is now the head coach of the enhanced games, is just … wild.
Yeah this is insane like Pan literally broke world record at world championship last year and he went 46 at trials .
he’s just jealous his time in the 50 free from the olympics is equal to pan’s first 50 split lollll
I think we need some Mental Health tips for Mr Hawke…
Anyone else notice this guys downward spiral. I would love to see what TST owner Brad Schumacher has to say…
Let’s see if we swim faster after getting really strong from testosterone and growth hormone, then inject a bunch of insulin, stimulants, and painkillers right before we race. What could go wrong??