Anti-doping watchdog urges US authorities to shut down planned drug-fueled event in Las Vegas

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The global watchdog of doping in sports said Wednesday it will urge public authorities to shut down the drug-fueled Enhanced Games planned in Las Vegas next year.

“We will urge the U.S. authorities to find legal ways to block this initiative,” World Anti-Doping Agency president Witold Banka said on the sidelines of a meeting of Olympic sports bodies.

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Organizers of the games scheduled for next May promise $1 million bonuses to beat world-record times by athletes who will be encouraged to use performance-enhancing drugs under medical supervision.

“This initiative seeks to normalize the use of potentially dangerous drugs,” Banka told leaders of Summer Olympics sports at the annual meeting of their umbrella group, known as ASOIF.

“For the sake of athlete health and the purity of sport of course it must be stopped,” the WADA leader said.

Banka, a former sports minister in Poland, suggested the Enhanced Games could be legally exposed in the state of Nevada or federally.

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“This is something that has to be explored from the legal perspective,” he told The Associated Press. “I cannot imagine, for instance, doctors giving the drugs to the athletes. It is completely against the values of their work.”

“The main thing is this event is going to be located in the U.S., so I think there is a strong role to be played by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency,” said Banka, whose Montreal-based organization has long had a troubled relationship with the American agency.

Said USADA’s chief executive, Travis Tygart: “Banka’s indignation equals his misinformation or ignorance about how free democratic societies and markets work.”

He challenged Banka to testify at a U.S. Senate hearing next week at which WADA will be the topic.

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“If he really wants to ask U.S. authorities to do something, he should show up and ask the Senate to do something,” Tygart said.

Investors in the project — which aims to sell personalized supplements and substances plans to subscribers — include one group backed by Donald Trump Jr.

The doping-backed project was “very embarrassing” for the U.S., Banka suggested, given its proximity to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Swimming's governing body, World Aquatics, said last week it will ban athletes, coaches and officials who take part in the Enhanced Games.

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AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports