Courtesy: The American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA)
The American Swimming Coaches Association stands in opposition to the concept and execution of the “Enhanced Games.” ASCA reaffirms its unwavering commitment to clean sport, athlete safety, and the core values that underpin fair and ethical competition.
We commend USA Swimming for its leadership and clarity in rejecting the Enhanced Games and for upholding the standards that have made our sport a global model of integrity and excellence. USA Swimming’s firm stance echoes the values shared across the coaching community—where athlete development, long-term health, and character are at the heart of all we do.
The Enhanced Games’ promotion of performance-enhancing drugs directly contradicts what ASCA believes in and works to uphold. Our association has long supported strict anti-doping measures, comprehensive education, and a culture of clean sport. We will oppose any initiative that compromises athlete health, violates the spirit of competition, or undermines decades of progress in safeguarding fairness in sport.
The idea of rewarding or glorifying enhancement as restricted by WADA, USADA and other Anti-Doping agencies endangers athletes and sends a dangerous message to future generations. ASCA will continue to advocate for environments where athletes succeed through discipline, training, and integrity—not pharmacology.
ASCA remains committed to fostering a sport that inspires, uplifts, and unites. We will continue to stand with our partners—including USA Swimming and global governing bodies—in defending clean sport and championing athlete well-being.
Mr Hawke has taken a circuitous path to becoming involved in yet another sham.
Let’s be real for a second swimming is a dying sport. Partly to do to kids waning interest in physical activities. And partly due to the terrible leadership in the major organizations. The ’50s of stroke should of been broght back over 20 years ago. For any sport to succeed you need numbers And you need growth. The big money for any sport is always going to come from sponsorships. If you double the number of swimmers in swimming that’s twice the number of Speedos they’re going to be sold and that much more money that can go to athletes in the way of sponsorships. You could probably count the numbers swimmers with real professional level money on one hand… Read more »
What a load of crap! Swimming is thriving all over the world. Enhanced games has zero place and should never be used as a stepping stone to gain more interest in the sport. Those volunteers who you claim get a “high” from dq’ing swimmers are one reason why the sport survives, they are integral in running competitions.
Swimmers don’t join the sport in hopes of making money, they join because they want to compete and were influenced to do so largely in part because of all those legends who haven’t touched the water in 30 years… I’m one of them (except the legend part). Many go into coaching and give back… like myself.
Your comment is out of touch!
Swimming is not thriving in the USA. You have 376K athletes as of 2024, that is down from 419K back in 2017. Swimming might be growing in other countries, but not the USA. Those officials I speak of are one of the many reasons swimmers quit. I have seen it for my own eyes way too many times. I am all about swimmers getting a DQ when it was deserved, but some of these officials are blind. Happend to my own son. He was DQ for fall starting. I videoed the start. He didn’t fall start the kid 2 lanes down did. What is worse is our coach said US swimming will not accept video evidence. I had it in… Read more »
I wonder how many people screaming from the rooftops against this event are also supporters of biological men competing in women’s sports?
My guess is none!
You’d be surprised…. SMH
Wasn’t Brett Hawke’s podcast partnered with ASCA?
Lifetime asca ban for any coaches associated with EG ?
Lifetime bans outside of existing rules can be tricky. Would have to change the rules, which in membership organizations is not like an instant thing. The CAS has also generally not been friendly to punishments outside of the scope of WADA (see: IOC) or for organizations saying “you can’t affiliate with this other organization or you’re banned from us (see: ISL).
Though as I write this, those cases are probably more relevant to USA Swimming than ASCA, which isn’t a WADA signatory.
Ban everyone who is part of this disgusting morally repulsive spectacle.
What’s the purpose of making a statement like this? Obviously it’s something completely separate from competitive, fair sport, but isn’t that the whole point of it?
Everyone has to make a statement to prove how morally superior they are.
I’ve got no interest in the Enhanced Games, and think they’re all dumb. But the performative public crowing where everyone wants to score points with their respective audience by seeing who can be against it in the most aggressive terms also feels silly.
Follow this train of thought:
* There is probably at least one high school coach out there that would consider giving PEDs to their swimmers
* There is probably at least one swimmer on that team who doesn’t have any stronger influences than their coach, and whose parents also listen to the coach
* If USA Swimming says to not do it, that’s a strong influence in the other direction that might stop the kid from otherwise doing PEDs.
* If USAS says nothing, does that mean they are complicit?
I agree that the “morally reprehensible” rhetoric is a little preachy, but I think we need to remember that many swimming families aren’t regular swimswam commenters… Read more »
Thank you, USA Swimming & ASCA, for taking a stand on Clean Sport. According to Brett Hawke, the Enhanced Games are about exploring the “full capacity of human performance” without ‘artificial limits’, like politics & hypocrisy, yet Performance Enhancing Drugs are artificial by nature. We already have countless examples of what doping does for capacity in a variety of discriplines, but we’ve also seen the heart disease, depression, infertility, and death. Proponents of the Enhanced Performance Program are nothing more than drug pushers. This is neither sport nor full capacity, and any records set are completely meaningless.