"Enhanced Games in Las Vegas, Nevada, around 50 athletes are set to compete in swimming, athletics and weightlifting, unbound by normal anti-doping rules. Organizers stress that performance-enhancing drugs will be used under medical supervision, and that only substances that are approved in the United States will be allowed. But such drugs are authorized for medical purposes, not athletic enhancement. Anabolic steroids, for example, might be prescribed legally for delayed puberty or for hypogonadism, in which the testes produce little to no hormone. And, so far, no details on treatment protocols for the athletes have been disclosed."
"Besides, although medical oversight might reduce immediate risks, it does not eliminate the adverse effects associated with doping in sport, including psychiatric complications, infertility and musculoskeletal injury. These are well documented in scientific and medical research. What drugs might the athletes take? Testosterone is a likely candidate. A natural sex hormone, it increases muscle mass and strength. But boosting levels with pharmaceuticals risks cardiovascular and endocrinological complications, dependence, and psychiatric effects such as aggression, mood instability and depression."
"Another likely substance is rEPO. Erythropoeitin (EPO) is a hormone that occurs naturally in the body, where it stimulates the production of red blood cells and thereby increases oxygen-carrying capacity. Its synthetic counterpart, rEPO, is known to improve aerobic endurance and has been notoriously used by cyclists. But it risks blood thickening that could lead to cardiovascular incidents."
Enhanced Games in Las Vegas will feature about 50 athletes competing in swimming, athletics, and weightlifting without normal anti-doping rules. Organizers plan to permit performance-enhancing drugs under medical supervision and only substances approved in the United States. Approved drugs are typically authorized for medical treatment rather than athletic enhancement, and specific treatment protocols have not been disclosed. Potential substances include testosterone, which can increase muscle mass and strength but may cause cardiovascular and endocrine complications, dependence, and psychiatric effects. Another likely option is rEPO, which increases red blood cell production and oxygen capacity, improving aerobic endurance but risking blood thickening and cardiovascular incidents. Medical oversight may reduce some immediate risks but does not remove known adverse effects such as psychiatric complications, infertility, and musculoskeletal injury.
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