Recently, a sports event called Enhanced Games announced its plan to take place in Las Vegas, United States, in May next year. The event, which openly condones doping by athletes and claims that “sport will be safer without doping controls”, has caused an uproar in the global sports community and has drawn widespread condemnation from various stakeholders.

Although the Enhanced Games use “the achievements of science and technology should be celebrated” as a promotional slogan, it is in fact a distorted competition that turns pure sports competition into a drug contest, which serious contradicts the purpose of the World Anti-Doping Code (Code). It severely threatens the physical and mental health of athletes as well as the spirit of sport. In addition, its publicity tactics reveal its nature as a capital-driven initiative. The organizer of the event continues to offer high prizes, economic sponsorships and other incentives to attract athletes and investors into the Games, luring athletes into risking their health to “bet” on commercial interests and satisfying some people’s desire to watch a “gladiator show”. All of this shows that the emergence of this event is pushing the integrity of sport into a deep crisis.

It is worth noting that the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s (USADA) response since the release of the plan reveals its weakness in the face of powerful interest groups and wealthy sponsors. In fact, rather than taking effective actions against those attempting to hold the Enhanced Games in the United States, USADA has used its dissatisfaction with the anti-doping system as an excuse to challenge the well-functioning world anti-doping order built by the joint efforts of the anti-doping community and undermine the global anti-doping governance system, which was designed to protect clean athletes worldwide in a fair and consistent manner. At the same time, USADA has failed to address its own governance deficiencies. For example, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is not a signatory to the Code, so it does not conduct blood tests or out-of-competition tests, nor are its athletes required to report whereabouts information. As a result, approximately 90% of U.S. athletes are not subject to the Code, and some are only tested when they become Olympians or just before the Olympic Games.

China Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA) hereby expresses our firm opposition to any attempt to portray doping as so-called scientific advancements, and calls on the global sports community to stand united in rejecting the Enhanced Games. We strongly urge USADA to follow the Code and International Standards and take decisive measures to oppose the Games; to refrain from hegemonic actions under the pretext of reforming the global anti-doping system; to cease sowing discord, fanning the flames, and escalating tensions; to stop exerting pressure and issuing threats under the guise of so-called legal means, and to put an end to the arbitrary application of long-arm jurisdiction. We further urge USADA to address the underlying issues in its work. Only through such efforts can the stability, harmony, and sustainable development of the global anti-doping system be effectively safeguarded.