An address by Anatoly Peskov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the International Athlete Rights Association (IARA), in connection with the holding of the "Enhanced Games" in Las Vegas (USA), which legalizes the use of doping in professional sports.

An address by Anatoly Peskov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the International Athlete Rights Association (IARA), in connection with the holding of the "Enhanced Games" in Las Vegas (USA), which legalizes the use of doping in professional sports.

As is well known, a number of Western entrepreneurs have decided to hold the so-called Enhanced Games from May 21-24, 2026, in Las Vegas, USA, for track and field, weightlifting, and swimming, where athletes will not be subject to doping tests. Any athlete at these Games will be able to use substances and methods prohibited in international sport to achieve high athletic results. According to these entrepreneurs, these Games will "embody competition, freedom, and true records," and they have the right to allow each athlete to make a choice about how to use his or her body.

Capitalists offer huge prize money to famous athletes for participation in these competitions. They don't care that doping can harm athletes' health, leading to liver, kidney, heart, vision, and joint problems, heart attacks and strokes, mental changes, and even death. They organized these Games primarily to generate windfall profits for pharmaceutical companies. Oligarchs and dishonest businessmen don't care that they are undermining the principles of the Olympic Charter and the statutes of international sports federations, violating athletes' rights to Fair Games and good health. It is regrettable that, contrary to the opinion of the IOC, WADA, and many prominent athletes and representatives of the sports community, these so-called "Enhanced Games" are being held in the country hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics. I would like to remind all organizers of international sports competitions that, in accordance with Articles 8 and 12 of the International Anti-Doping Convention, all parties to this Convention are obliged to restrict the availability and use of prohibited substances and methods in sport, and to facilitate doping control at sports competitions in their countries.

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