# Enhanced Games (aka no drug testing for competing athletes)? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 10, 2024, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enhanced-games-aka-no-drug-testing-for-competing-athletes/997377 "2024-02-10T07:22:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2024, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enhanced-games-aka-no-drug-testing-for-competing-athletes/997377/1 "2024-02-10T07:22:28Z")
Today I learned about a thing called Enhanced Games. I can’t post a link because I’m on my tablet as my laptop is fuckeded. But have a google…essentially the athletes can take any ‘enhancements’ they want, with no penalties involved. I can’t see an upside to this. The athletes will be unable to get any real accolades, and secondly, their health outcomes I imagine will be compromised. Thoughts?? ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2024, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enhanced-games-aka-no-drug-testing-for-competing-athletes/997377/2 "2024-02-10T07:46:51Z")
The upside is that we get to see the absolute of what the human body is capable of, given drug assistance. Would be morbidly fascinating to see. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2024, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enhanced-games-aka-no-drug-testing-for-competing-athletes/997377/3 "2024-02-10T08:08:39Z")
It was done years ago. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/jAdG-iTilWU/maxresdefault.jpg "Weekend Update: Kevin Nealon on the All-Drug Olympics - SNL") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAdG-iTilWU) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2024, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enhanced-games-aka-no-drug-testing-for-competing-athletes/997377/4 "2024-02-10T08:25:12Z")
There was a Tank Mcnamara cartoon about celebrity games where 'any contestants not on drugs will be disqualified". ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2024, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enhanced-games-aka-no-drug-testing-for-competing-athletes/997377/5 "2024-02-10T19:55:48Z")
In some performance categories, we’re starting to see the point where it goes from being enhancement to being downright unsafe. Steroids and other performance enhancing substances can let athletes do strange things like develop muscle beyond their tendons’ and joints’ ability to support. Anecdotally, that’s why a lot of pro football players get weird muscle tears, etc… Many of these are outright unhealthy outside of competititon. Or in automotive racing, we’re already past the point where engineers can design cars that can do _more_ than the drivers can handle in terms of G-forces and the like. Example: Firestone Firehawk 600 at Texas Motor Speedway. They eventually cancelled it because drivers were having g-force related issues in qualifying, and it was calculated that with the 24 degree banks, they could pull a sustained _5 gs_ in the turns. (by way of comparison the Space Shuttle was a sustained 3 g, and the Saturn V only hit 4 gs twice during launch for intermittent periods). That’s in the ball park of where they’d need g-suits like fighter pilots and/or specific training to handle it. There’s no real upside to this- I mean, it might be cool to see some roided up freak hit a 8.5 second 100 meter dash, but at what cost? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2024, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enhanced-games-aka-no-drug-testing-for-competing-athletes/997377/6 "2024-02-10T20:45:17Z")
This was the question on todays Bluff the Listener quiz on _Wait wait don’t tell me._ ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2024, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enhanced-games-aka-no-drug-testing-for-competing-athletes/997377/7 "2024-02-10T21:05:53Z")
As it hasn’t been posted already: > **[Enhanced Games](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enhanced_Games)** > > The Enhanced Games is a planned international sports event where the athletes will not be subject to drug testing. It is headed by Aron D'Souza, Australian businessman, and originally meant to take place in December 2024. Reactions from the sporting world have been generally negative, with commentators highlighting the safety risks of encouraging performance-enhancing drug use. > The Enhanced Games is meant to be the first event of its kind to support performance-enhancing drugs and not follow the... j ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2024, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enhanced-games-aka-no-drug-testing-for-competing-athletes/997377/8 "2024-02-10T21:37:59Z")
Where could they even hold it? Most of these drugs are not just against the policies of sporting leagues, but actually illegal in most sane jurisdictions. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2024, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enhanced-games-aka-no-drug-testing-for-competing-athletes/997377/9 "2024-02-11T03:51:40Z")
Well, steroids can be legal… and there are pill docs who will write a 'scrip for nearly anything. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2024, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enhanced-games-aka-no-drug-testing-for-competing-athletes/997377/10 "2024-02-11T04:02:34Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > The upside is that we get to see the absolute of what the human body is capable of, given drug assistance. Would be morbidly fascinating to see. I doubt that’s what you’ll see. Any athlete who participates in this will be irrevocably tarnished: the only reason to participate in this game is if you’re taking otherwise forbidden substances. Top-tier athletes who want to compete in standard events will give this thing a hard pass, rather than admit they’re breaking the rules of the standard events. The only athletes who will compete in this event are those who’ve given up on ever being competitive in standard events–the third-tier folks, in other words. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2024, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enhanced-games-aka-no-drug-testing-for-competing-athletes/997377/11 "2024-02-11T06:16:36Z")
Is it wrong that I’d like to see the organizers and financers of the event compete rather than any actual athletes? Let’s see how _they_ do with the drugs. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2024, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enhanced-games-aka-no-drug-testing-for-competing-athletes/997377/12 "2024-02-11T06:51:15Z")
If you don’t think the majority of competitive Crossfitters, most “fitness influencers” and the elite athletes already competing in many sports are on PEDs, I have a bridge to sell you. At least perhaps this would give some purpose to using enhancements other than looking good on TikTok or whatever all the juiced up youngsters are doing these days. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Librarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_librarian/32/402_2.png) [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2024, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enhanced-games-aka-no-drug-testing-for-competing-athletes/997377/13 "2024-02-11T08:25:53Z")
To be fair: Drugs that make you look good only have a tiny overlap with drugs that enhance performance. Look at pictures of Ben Johnson or Floyd Landis when they were on their most dopey: not a pretty picture. ---
**Author:** ![ColdBrew50](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9a140/32.png) [@ColdBrew50](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ColdBrew50)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2024, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enhanced-games-aka-no-drug-testing-for-competing-athletes/997377/14 "2024-02-11T09:25:17Z")
Well, I didn’t realize this has been a semi-serious proposition for some years now, but I think it’s not a bad idea for a stunt. Just spitballing, this could have amusing analogs in other arenas of competition. Acting/motion pictures comes to mind: actors who abstain from PEDs/steroids to get “shredded” and are not presented on screen with any sort of CGI or prosthetics, vs. the “New Breed” of ectomorphs or whatever they are. Any number of examples along those lines. As reality TV (or sports, same thing — N.B., I didn’t say “sportsball,” because I have been known to enjoy a game or two, but I stand by the comparison) goes, anything along those lines has got to be more amusing than Duck Pawn Jersey Ice Survivor or whatever.