Former world champion Kerley set to affiliate with Enhanced Games
The sports world is abuzz with anticipation as the Enhanced Games, a start-up league that allows athletes to use performance-enhancing drugs banned in official competition, prepares to debut in May next year in Las Vegas.
Among the high-profile athletes who have already signed on for the Enhanced Games is Olympic silver medalist swimmer Ben Proud and track star Fred Kerley, the 2022 100m world champion. Kerley, who also has two medals at the Olympics - silver in Tokyo in 2021 and bronze in Paris last year in a historically close 100m final - aims to break the world record and become the fastest human to ever live in the Enhanced Games.
Kerley's participation in the Enhanced Games has not been without controversy. He was arrested for allegedly punching a Miami Beach police officer on Jan. 2, an incident in which police used a Taser on him. Kerley was also charged in Florida with punching a woman, a hurdler who also competed in the Olympics, in May.
World Athletics president Seb Coe has expressed his awareness of Kerley joining the Enhanced Games, making his statement in reference to the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. However, the Enhanced Games is not affiliated with any official Olympic or athletics competitions.
Each event in the Enhanced Games offers a prize of US$500,000, with US$250,000 awarded to first place. There is a US$1 million bonus for breaking world records in the 100m sprint or in the 50m freestyle in swimming during the Enhanced Games.
Not all athletes are choosing to participate in the Enhanced Games, however. Six-time world champion swimmer Kyle Chalmers of Australia rejected a "life-changing" sum of money to join the league. Chalmers' manager, Phoebe Rothfield, stated that the swimmer turned down the offer due to his commitment to competing for his country and love for the sport.
The Enhanced Games has filed an $800 million lawsuit against World Aquatics and others for what it perceived as an illegal attempt to get athletes to boycott its league. World Aquatics passed a rule to ban athletes who participate in the Enhanced Games earlier this year.
As the Enhanced Games approaches, it remains to be seen whether the controversy surrounding the league will deter athletes from participating or if the promise of huge prizes will be too tempting to resist. One thing is certain: the Enhanced Games is poised to shake up the world of sports.
