WADA Condemns Enhanced Games: “A Dangerous and Irresponsible Concept”

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, it said in a statement sent to SwimSwam.

On Wednesday, the Enhanced Games, which will allow athletes to take performance-enhancing substances while competing in swimming, track and strength events, announced its plan to host the inaugural edition of the event on Memorial Day weekend in Las Vegas in May 2026.

“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.

“Clearly this event would jeopardize that as it seeks to promote the use of powerful substances and methods by athletes for the purposes of entertainment and marketing. Over the years, there have been many examples of athletes suffering serious long-term side effects from their use of prohibited substances and methods. Some have died.

“This is one area that surely should unite all Anti-Doping Organizations and governments around the world, not least in the U.S. where the event is now scheduled to take place. It is time for all our clean sport partners, including athletes, to join us in condemning this event regardless of its wealthy and influential supporters. ”

WADA warned athletes of the potential rules they’ll violate if they choose to take part in the Enhanced Games, and also called on governments and law enforcement to investigate if athletes who admit to taking PEDs “may be in breach of criminal laws or professional rules” in their home countries or where they compete.

“WADA warns athletes and support personnel who wish to participate in sport regulated by the World Anti-Doping Code (Code), that if they were to take part in the Enhanced Games, they would risk committing anti-doping rule violations under the Code. They would also put their reputations on the line, as they would risk forever being associated with doping. To be clear, WADA will encourage Anti-Doping Organizations to test involved athletes before, during and after this event, in order to protect the integrity of legitimate sport. WADA will also work closely with its Athlete Council to ensure that athletes are fully informed of the risks.

“WADA also calls on all governments and law enforcement agencies to assess whether athletes who admit to taking performance-enhancing drugs – or the physicians who supply or administer those substances – may be in breach of criminal laws or professional rules, whether in their own countries or wherever the event takes place.

“The beauty and popularity of sport is based on the ideal of clean and fair competition. These values must be protected. Athletes serve as role models and WADA believes that this event sends the wrong signal to young people around the world.”

When asked for comment and how being involved with the Enhanced Games would impact ones standing in the U.S., the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) used the opportunity to take shots at WADA.

“Open competitions have existed for years, and for all of the obvious reasons, we do not believe they are a good idea. However, these events do not affect our athletes, as any athlete who chooses to compete in open competitions using prohibited substances cannot compete in Olympic and Paralympic competition,” USADA said.

“A less obvious farce is that WADA is using the Enhanced Games as a distraction from fixing the global anti-doping system that it broke and is deliberately stoking anti-American rhetoric to pull the world’s attention away from its own failures. Clearly, open competition is not a solution to the current failures of WADA where certain athletes and countries, like in the China TMZ cases, don’t have to follow the rules. But the status quo is equally—if not more—unfair and dangerous as only a small handful of people at WADA are secretly deciding who must follow the rules that protect athlete health and fair sport.”

Thus far, three high-profile swimmers have committed to the Games: three-time Olympic medalist and three-time world champion James Magnussen, world record holder and five-time European champion Andrii Govorov, and Olympic finalist and European champion Kristian Gkolomeev.

On Wednesday, it was revealed that Gkolomeev went under the world record in the men’s 50 freestyle (20.89) wearing a super-suit and also went under the fastest textile time ever in a jammer (21.03) while taking PEDs.