May 20, 2026

expert reaction to the Enhanced Games beginning this week

Scientists comment on the Enhanced Games starting this week. 

Dr Catherine Norton, Associate Professor Sport & Exercise Nutrition, University of Limerick, said:

What are your thoughts on performance enhancing drugs being used in professional sport?

“Performance enhancing drugs are not a new issue in elite sport, but the conversation around them is changing. My concern is less about isolated cases of doping, and more about the creation of systems that incentivise athletes to compromise their long-term health in pursuit of performance, financial reward, or selection. Elite sport already places extraordinary physical and psychological demands on athletes, and we need to be careful not to further blur the lines between high performance and high risk.”

What performance enhancing drugs would you be most concerned about at the Enhanced Games?

“I would be particularly concerned about substances linked with cardiovascular, hormonal, neurological, and psychological risk. This includes anabolic agents, growth hormone, stimulants, and emerging compounds where the long-term evidence base is limited. The concern is magnified when combinations of substances are used, often at doses far beyond therapeutic recommendations, and in environments where the pressure to continually push boundaries is built into the model itself.”

What are the risks of the organisers selling their own supplements and hormones to the general public?

“There are significant ethical and public health concerns when commercial interests become intertwined with performance enhancement messaging. It risks legitimising the idea that success, aesthetics, or athletic achievement are dependent on pharmaceutical support. For younger athletes and recreational exercisers in particular, this can distort perceptions of what is achievable through training, nutrition, recovery, and evidence-based support alone. There is also concern around product quality, regulation, misinformation, and the downstream consequences of unsupervised hormone use.”

Do you have any concerns about the normalisation of drug-assisted fitness?

“Yes. Social media and fitness culture already place enormous pressure on appearance and performance. If drug-assisted physiques and performances become increasingly normalised or commercialised, it may create unrealistic expectations for young people and recreational athletes. We should be cautious about creating environments where health is secondary to aesthetics, virality, or short-term outcomes. There is a real risk that the pursuit of “optimisation” begins to overshadow wellbeing.”

Any other thoughts about the Enhanced Games in general?

“The Enhanced Games raises important questions about ethics, governance, athlete welfare, and the future identity of sport. While it positions itself as innovation or freedom of choice, choice in elite sport is rarely made in a vacuum. Financial incentives, sponsorship, contracts, and public attention can heavily influence decision-making. For me, the central issue is whether sport continues to value fairness, health, and sustainable human performance, or whether it moves toward a model where biological risk-taking becomes entertainment.”

Declared interests

Dr Catherine Norton: No conflicts to declare.