Christian Angermayer’s Enhanced Games: A Drug-Powered Sporting Experiment

German billionaire Christian Angermayer launched the Enhanced Games, scheduled for a Sunday weekend, with 42 athletes (36 confirmed) competing in a 100 m sprint, swimming races and weightlifting. The event openly permits performance-enhancing drugs banned by anti-doping bodies.

The Guardian

A study of the 36 confirmed athletes reports 91 % using testosterone, 79 % human growth hormone, 41 % erythropoietin and 29 % anabolic steroids. Angermayer says he takes 250 mg of testosterone weekly; participants will use 80-200 mg. He also uses tesamorelin, an FDA-approved peptide for HIV-associated lipodystrophy.

The Guardian

Angermayer says medicine should not be limited to treating illness and that any FDA-approved substance should be allowed in elite sport under medical supervision. He likens the Enhanced Games to sport’s commercial model, which he says already sells “shitty scarves” and “very dangerous drugs.” He expects the meet to attract “millions of people, young and old, male and female, Republican and Democrat,” and to market consumer-grade performance products.

The Guardian

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) described the Enhanced Games as a dangerous and irresponsible concept. Travis Tygart, chief executive of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, called the event a clown show. The Guardian’s accreditation request was initially denied, then reversed.

The Guardian

Critics cite 1990s cyclist deaths linked to EPO and East German doping of children. WADA’s 2011 study suggested nearly half of elite track-and-field athletes used banned substances, but the agency noted methodological flaws. Angermayer argues the risk is overstated, saying that if the substances were as dangerous as critics claim, athletes would be dying, while medical experts warn that FDA-approved steroids and HGH can cause diabetes, heart problems and abnormal organ growth. He also alleges that seven athletes in the Paris Summer Games cheated, yet provides no evidence; WADA disputes the prevalence figures.

The Guardian

• “I don’t understand why people limit medicine only for treating an illness,” — Christian Angermayer, Founder of Enhanced Games

The Guardian

• “ But the World Anti-Doping Agency calls the Enhanced Games “a dangerous and irresponsible concept”, I reply, while Travis Tygart, the CEO of US Anti-Doping, says it is a “clown show”.” — WADA statement

The Guardian

• “clown show” — Travis Tygart, CEO, US Anti-Doping Agency

The Guardian

• “If these substances had anywhere near the risk all these goons are saying, we would see athletes drop dead.” — Christian Angermayer

The Guardian

The Enhanced Games challenges the global anti-doping regime, creates a market for consumer-grade performance drugs, and sparks debate over its regulation.

The Guardian

Angermayer says future editions may include retired stars in their 40s and 50s attempting to match former personal bests. He predicts the event will thrive beyond five years despite skeptics.

The Guardian