World Athletics boss Coe dismisses Enhanced Games, calls its participants ‘moronic’, threatens long suspensions
- Sebastian Coe slams event where performance-enhancing drugs will be allowed, says competitors will face long bans
- The Enhanced Games’s founder, former Hong Kong resident Aron D’Souza, describes remarks as ‘belittling’
A war of words has erupted between the president of World Athletics and the founder of the drug-fuelled Enhanced Games, with Sebastian Coe calling the concept “b******s”.
Speaking at a press conference at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow on Thursday, the governing body president went one step further and said those taking part would be banned from the sport.
“I can’t really get excited about it,” Coe said. “There’s only one message, and that is if anybody is moronic enough to officially take part in it, and they are in the traditional part of our sport, they’ll get banned for a long time.”
The Enhanced Games were founded by former Hong Kong resident Aron D’Souza, who described Coe’s remarks as “belittling our plans” and “an inability by some incumbents to string together a cohesive argument”.
“I should also highlight that the Enhanced Games will allow both natural and enhanced athletes to compete side by side – with no requirement for anyone to be enhanced,” D’Souza added.
“We have been clear about this from the outset, and I can assure Lord Coe that there will be nothing ‘moronic’ about our athletes.”
Last month, former world champion swimmer James Magnussen became the first athlete to publicly declare an interest in competing.
The 32-year-old Australian said he would “juice to the gills” in an attempt to break the 50m freestyle world record if organisers put up US$1 million (HK$7.8 million) in prize money.
D’Souza later announced that athletes choosing to take part would receive a base salary and compete for prize money, including the US$1 million Magnussen is chasing.
No other athletes have publicly said they would compete, but organisers have claimed that “hundreds” have declared interest, including some competing in the Paris Olympics.
Despite not having an official date or venue, the Enhanced Games has secured funding from billionaire venture capitalist Christian Angermayer’s Apieron Investment Group, PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel and former Coinbase CTO Balaji Srinivasan.
Organisers previously said the event would take part in the United States in late 2024 or early 2025.
