‘No-one’s going to explode’ – Enhanced chief says Games will change minds

The new CEO of the controversial start-up says that the first Enhanced Games will alter how well-known sports view doping.

Competitors can use performance-enhancing substances that are prohibited from mainstream sports in the Enhanced Games to win big prizes.

Anti-doping officials and governing bodies have long been against it, saying it puts athletes in danger and undermines the integrity of sport.

Maximilian Martin, the company’s CEO, told BBC Sport, “A few institutions think we’re bad. OK, I get it.”

However, the general public and existing institutions will be thinking very, very differently about us after the first Games.

They will observe no one who exploded or suffered a heart attack while competing. Simply put, it isn’t taking place.

Long-term, I believe other sports leagues will adopt our strategy, shifting from a punitive testing system to one that prioritizes the safety and health of the athletes competing. “

The risks associated with banned substances can be reduced, according to Enhanced Games, with medical oversight and regular screening of athletes for up to five years after their events.

Experts elsewhere have disputed that assertion.

Olympic silver medalist Fred Kerley and British swimmer Ben Proud, who won three world titles in the sprint competition, are just two of the 21 athletes who have so far been confirmed as having entered the Enhanced Games.

Organisers say they anticipate a total of 35 competitors by the end of January, with about 50 more in May.

A five-star hotel in Abu Dhabi will serve as the site where Enhanced Games will hold training while strictly adhering to banned substances.

Any swimmer, coach, or official associated with Enhanced Games being allowed to compete in its own events, regardless of whether they didped or not, was made a general rule in July by World Aquatics.

A New York judge last month rejected Enhanced Games’ $800 million lawsuit challenging that ban.

Three days later, Aron D’Souza, the former public face and founder of Enhanced Games, resigned as CEO.

Before starting a bitcoin mining business, Martin, who spent two years as an investment banker in London, insists that the Games will continue and grow.

Martin intends to stage a winter edition of the Enhanced Games in addition to one-time time-trial efforts to break previous world records.

He also wants to start triathlon, giving a doped athlete a platform to complete an Ironman-distance race in a time that is unmatched.

The success of Enhanced depends on how well their events function as showcase sales pitches to market supervised medications and supplement programs in the United States.

Martin anticipates having them available by February, but they aren’t yet available.

In partnership and sponsorship agreements, the Games may also be used to promote other brands.

Traditional sports event revenue sources like media rights and tickets are not yet significant contributors to the balance sheet.

The temporary Las Vegas arena, which has a four-lane pool and a 100-meter sprint track, will initially be free to watch on YouTube, with the 2,500 tickets going to be distributed rather than sold.

We don’t need to win everyone over to our cause, Martin said, “We don’t need to win everyone over to our cause.” We’re open to disagreeing with it from other people.

The Olympic system is also a “love.” One of the best sporting events I’ve ever attended was Paris last year, which I attended.

The Olympic experience should continue to be positive. It’s amazing to see more than 10,000 athletes from every sport that can be imagined, the world gathered to celebrate, forget about wars, and support one another’s passion for sport.