Sunrise host Matt Shirvington has unleashed on the controversial Enhanced Games, questioning the extreme lengths organisers could go to manufacture world records. Branded the “Steroid Olympics” by critics, the event has drawn worldwide attention, with Olympians including James Magnussen competing using performance-enhancing drugs for a share of $35 million across swimming, athletics, and weightlifting.
While organisers of the Las Vegas event claim the event is simply regulating what already occurs in elite sport, Shirvington said he was deeply sceptical about the legitimacy of any records set during the competition. The former Australian Olympian questioned how far organisers might be willing to go to ensure the event appears successful, particularly with $1 million bonuses on offer for world records.
“Has anyone measured the pool, has anyone measured the length of the track itself? The idea that they have to get a world record to prove it’s going to be successful, how do we even know that the length of the track is right? Who knows, maybe its a 98 metre track,” Shirvington said on Sunrise.
Olympic gold medallist Sally Pearson admitted she was curious to see how the Games unfolded from a scientific perspective, but remained strongly opposed to the use of banned substances in sport. “I know that there’s probably about 10 per cent of athletes that won’t be using the banned substance, and I would really be cheering for those guys,” Pearson said. “We come from a traditional sporting background, where there’s no drugs allowed in the sport. So I think as an ethics point of view, it is quite hard for us to understand this.”
Pearson backed Shirvington’s concerns about the pressure organisers face to deliver record-breaking performances. “I would hope that we’re not going to see a world record in the mens 100 metres,” she said, agreeing they could go to extreme lengths to prove the Games were a success.
According to reports discussed, 90 per cent of competitors are using testosterone, 79 per cent are taking human growth hormone, while others are reportedly using Adderall and anabolic steroids. Shirvington raised concerns about the lack of transparency surrounding how the substances were being administered and monitored.
Dr Zac Turner warned the health consequences associated with the drugs being used were severe and well-documented, including heart attacks, strokes, and irreversible cardiovascular damage in young athletes. “These aren’t vitamins we’re talking about. We’re talking about athletes taking doses of hormones and steroids that are far greater and far more than the body would ever naturally produce,” Turner said.
Turner agreed the full drug regimes should be made public for scientific scrutiny. “They’re going to be on five, or six, or seven different types of medications... they’re stimulating themselves before the race, and then they’re doing a whole lot of other things pre and post, and they’re not giving us what they’re doing to keep it safe,” he said.
When asked whether she would ever consider competing in the event, Pearson was unequivocal. “Definitely not. I’ve always been so against the drugs in the sport as well,” she said. “I was always terrified that if something like that ever happened to me, I would have a heart attack on the spot. I wanted to be the best athlete in the world, but there’s certainly lines that I would never cross.”
