The Enhanced games. Are they fair?

The Enhanced Games are a reinvented version of the Olympic games where athletes can take performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) to reach their full potential.

What are performance enhancing drugs?

Performance enhancing drugs are not illegal drugs, they can be safe enough to use with the right help and guidance. During the games athletes will be given guidance on what performance enhancing drugs to use from experts. Performance enhancing drugs are taken to help athletes run faster, jump higher and be stronger. Using performance enhancing drugs is also called ‘doping’.

Against the enhanced games

Doping and drug use is banned in the Olympics as it affects the fairness of the games creating unfair advantages as it's not based on natural talent and it's just the effect of the drugs on our bodies, this might make sports boring to watch. Also having a sports competition where people use performance enhancing drugs is encouraging people to take drugs and harm their bodies as these special drugs have been proven to mess with the human body causing hormonal, physiological, heart and liver problems.

For the enhanced games

As stated by Aron D’souza himself, Performance enhancing drugs are not illegal drugs, according to the Olympics' own research 44% of olympians have used PEDs and only 1% have been caught. Some may argue that these special drugs can harm our bodies, however drugs such as alcohol and heroin cause more damage to the human body than anabolic steroids. Following the topic of harm to the body here is something Aron D’souza said in his interview with topical talk “And when the critics of The Enhanced Games say that it is unsafe or unhealthy, I simply point out that the two longest serving olympic sponsors are Coca-Cola and McDonalds. Two companies which have done more damage to public health than any other organisation in the totality of human history. And so to be lectured by Olympic officials about health and safety is quite hypocritical.” Some may argue that the Olympics are unfair as athletes have different levels of access to equipment, coaches and footwear which gives an unfair advantage. So why shouldn't they be allowed PEDs?

My opinion

I have mixed thoughts about The Enhanced Games. It is a difficult debate as there are two valid arguments and I can see both sides of the argument, however I am worried about what performance enhancing drugs will do to the athletes bodies in the long run. Whilst there are non-drug related enhancements like the latest sports trainers, which help athletes run faster or jump higher, and some athletes may have better access to coaches. All of these help athletes excel in their sport, just as the performance enhancing drugs do, except trainers and coaches will not physically damage your body. Because of this I am against The Enhanced Games as the use of PEDs are dangerous and it's been scientifically proven to damage our bodies.