Enhanced games for elite swimmers: An ethical perspective

Fact checked – 7 min read

What are the Enhanced Games?
Created by Australian businessman Aron D’Souza, the Enhanced Games will allow athletes to use performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) without World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) restrictions; Team GB Olympic silver medallist Ben Proud announced his retirement from ‘traditional swimming’ in order to join the controversial movement. Promoters frame it as a celebration of scientific progress, with performance achieved under medical supervision rather than secrecy. Substantial prize money and signing offers have been reported, making it an attractive option for some athletes approaching the end of their careers [1,2]. However, the movement is not without it’s critics, Take a look at my Integrative Sports Nutrition (ISN) programme features and fees HERE after reading this blog post, read on!

What does it mean for athletes reaching the end of their careers?
Ben Proud stated that his decision was largely a financial incentive and opportunity to safeguard his family’s future, which is completely plausible and understandable. however, the movement is not without it’s critics. Many elite swimmers and other e retire with relatively modest earnings compared to athletes in sports like football or tennis. The Enhanced Games’ offers of six-figure contracts and large prize pools could be tempting as a way to “cash out” before retirement. For athletes who may not have secured sponsorship deals or post-career plans, this may look like a quick financial bridge. Conversely, Participation would almost certainly mean exclusion from mainstream sport, national teams, World Championships, and the Olympics. Retiring swimmers and athletes who still want to stay involved as coaches, ambassadors, or commentators may damage their reputation and credibility by aligning with an event that mainstream governing bodies condemn.

International bodies responds
The head of the US Anti-Doping Agency, Travis Tygart, called the movement a ‘Clown show’. Jane Rumble, the United Kingdom’s Anti-Doping (UKAD) chief executive, said: “It is incredibly disappointing that any British athlete would consider competing in an event that flies in the face of the true spirit of sport. Any decision by any athlete to compete in the Enhanced Games risks undermining the values of a sporting landscape that prizes hard work, integrity, pure talent and 100 per cent clean sport. She went on the say that, “It’s a landscape UK Anti-Doping works hard to protect, so it is with deep concern for all clean athletes, and all those who love sport, that the event may go ahead, with any British athlete saying they will take part. It is an undertaking that diminishes, rather than ‘enhances’, all those involved.”  For context, Ben Proud was an advocate of UK Anti-Doping’s Clean Sport Week. Meanwhile, a UK Sport spokesperson said: “UK Sport condemns everything the Enhanced Games stands for in the strongest possible terms. We believe it risks compromising athlete health and welfare. We are engaging with our colleagues at Aquatics GB as a matter of urgency to determine Ben Proud’s suitability to receive public funds. It is clear however that any breach of anti-doping rules is contrary to the policies which any athlete must comply with to receive UK Sport funding.” Additionally, Lord Coe, the President of World Athletics, said the Enhanced Games were a “moronic” idea.

Could mainstream sport be at risk?
The Olympic and professional sports system currently retains control of funding, sponsorships, and prestige. Governing bodies such as WADA and the World Medical Association have condemned the Enhanced Games, citing health and ethical concerns [3,4]. While mainstream sport is not immediately under threat, the financial lure and media coverage of the Enhanced Games highlight discontent with current athlete compensation structures and could disrupt traditional sport ecosystems [5]. However, it could equally be argued that there many athletes already ‘cheating the system’ and competing whilst under the influence of WADA-prohibited PEDs, because as the technology used to detect these in urine improves, it also faces an evolving technology that strives to hide them from WADA /UKAD testing procedures, so it could be argued that it’s currently not a level playing field anyways, and that arguably, the Enhanced games may help ‘level it’ somewhat, but what ‘levelling’ actually means is also open to interpretation.

Ethical considerations: Autonomy vs integrity
Supporters argue that athletes should have the autonomy to decide what they do with their bodies if risks are disclosed and supervised. They also suggest that transparency could make enhancement safer than underground doping [2,6]. Critics respond that the format undermines fairness, creates an arms race favouring those with wealthier support teams, and sets a dangerous precedent for young upcoming athletes who may see it legitimate to normalise drug-enhanced performance [3,7]. But is it more fulfilling if you win by being true to yourself and others?

Functional and integrative medicine perspectives
From a functional medicine lens, supervised enhancement could be seen as personalised “performance medicine,” offering structured monitoring of biomarkers and health status. However, this clashes with the core principle of primum non nocere (first, do no harm). Many PEDs have well-documented risks for cardiac, hepatic, endocrine, and mental health, with cumulative damage that no medical oversight can fully prevent [3,8].

Financial incentives and alternative pathways
The Enhanced Games promises significantly larger payouts than many swimmers earn in mainstream competition for a rather short career [1]. Yet these come with hidden costs: potential bans from national teams, loss of sponsorship, reputational damage, and long-term healthcare expenses. Athletes seeking financial stability could instead expand into coaching, media, or sports nutrition consultancy, pathways that preserve health while leveraging their expertise and reputation [9].

Health risks: Short- and long-Term
Short-term risks of PED use include arrhythmias, hypertension, and psychiatric side effects, while long-term use is linked to endocrine dysfunction, infertility, cardiac remodeling, and premature coronary disease [3,8]. Unknown risks from experimental combinations further complicate safety, which brings in to focus the importance of balancing performance with short and long-term health like my ISN services offers. I argue that life is so much more than wealth, there is too much emphasis of finacial banks, and not enough on long-term ‘health banks’. Whats the point of wealth if you dont have the longer-term health to enjoy that wealth? This statement can be placed in to perspective given the increasing prevalence of cancers worldwide. However, with my ISN programme which embraces Nutritional Therapy principles, it may be possible to mitigate the risks whilst maximise the benefits of PEDs by understanding the mechanisms of action and consequences of the PED in question.

Incentivisation for prescribers and drug companies
These games could pave the way for increased production and indiscriminate sales of PEDs. Prescribers may see this an opportunity for extra income, raising ethical considerations, There could even be an increase in fake products which has the potential to cause a lot of harm and little benefit to athletes looking to gain an extra edge on their competing colleagues. Where is that proverbial line on the sand going to be drawn?

The role of Integrative Sports Nutrition
In contrast to pharmacological enhancement, there is an alternative. Integrative sports nutrition offers a sustainable and evidence-based method of maximising performance. Through tailored dietary strategies, nutrient timing, hydration, recovery protocols, and safe supplementation, athletes can improve power output, endurance, and resilience without jeopardising long-term health [10]. Proper nutrition also supports hormonal balance, immune function, and cognitive performance, all critical for both competitive longevity and quality of life after sport. Investing in my ISN approach empowers swimmers (and all other recreational and elite athletes for that matter), to build a career around performance and wellbeing rather than sacrificing health for short-term gains. But is ISN on it’s own sufficient to ‘shift that needle’ and help elite athletes earn sufficient success and wealth and avoid using PEDs?

Preserving health as the true win?
Ultimately, the Enhanced Games highlights conflicts between short-term financial gains and long-term wellbeing. For elite swimmers and other athletes, the greatest victory may not be breaking records through enhancement, but sustaining performance, health, and income over decades. Integrative approaches to nutrition and performance optimisation provide a sustainable path forward, aligning athletic ambition with lasting vitality. What do you think? Leave a reply below with your thoughts.

My ISN Programme
Take a look at my ISN programme features and fees HERE, suitable for any budget, recreational, semi pro and elite athletes.

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