With the Summer 2024 Olympics approaching, Australian entrepreneur Aron D’Souza has a different idea of how the games should be run. D’Souza announced the Enhanced Games in June 2023, an idea that led to much controversy. The games is an Olympic-style competition with no drug testing.
D’Souza has announced plans for the games to begin in the summer of 2024. Athletes are not obligated to speak about what substance they take to improve their physical capabilities as they are in the Olympics, thus taking away the aspect of raw competition in sports. The idea allows cheaters to flourish in the sporting world. Sports test the human body’s natural limits, and taking enhancements would oppose this. Sports aren’t just about winning, but fairness, health and discipline.
“The use of drugs to boost athletic performance should continue to be banned,” sophomore wrestler Joey Romeo said. “The point of sports is to maximize your natural potential. This is a disgrace to sports, the players, coaches and anyone else involved in the process of helping players attain a certain degree of natural talent.”
Many health concerns can result from the legalization of these games. While the games have not yet been officially confirmed, they could lead to illegal drug use by athletes around the world. Track and field, swimming, weightlifting, gymnastics and combat sports will be in the annual games.
“I do not think it is a risk that should be taken to advance your game because it can lead to serious injuries to your health,” junior field hockey player Sophia Sisco said. “Thriving in a sport is not as important as maintaining a healthy lifestyle is and your health should always be prioritized first in situations like that.”
“The playing field needs to be leveled in sports and it would not be fair,” varsity golf coach Dean Ratajczak said. “Athletes are constantly trying to bend the rules, but again you also can make the argument that athletes in the old days were taking drugs to improve performance and nothing was done about it.”
The games not only threaten the meaning of sports but anti-doping and sporting organizations as well. Although it is unsure if these controversial games will even happen this summer, the idea itself is something that will force lots of discussion and conflicting reactions.
Photo credit: triple_crown_ride-227 by Dominik Szopa is licensed under (CC-BY-SA 4.0)
