TY - JOUR
T1 - Health and Performance Challenges in the Era of Human Enhancement
T2 - Insights from Sport Medicine Professionals
AU - Hu, Ke
AU - Schneider, Christian
AU - Hutchinson, Mark R.
AU - Ergen, Emin
AU - Geistlinger, Michael
AU - Killoughery, Iain
AU - Braumann, Klaus Michael
AU - Lazzoli, José Kawazoe
AU - Seto, Jane
AU - Bigard, Xavier
AU - Debruyne, André
AU - Jegier, Anna
AU - Papadopoulou, Theodora
AU - Manonelles, Pedro
AU - Arroyo, Francisco
AU - Ghrairi, Mourad
AU - Cintrón, Ana V.
AU - Zupet, Petra
AU - Leitão, Marcelo Bichels
AU - Kayikci, Umutcan
AU - Kopile, Daniel Arkader
AU - Pigozzi, Fabio
AU - Fossati, Chiara
AU - Di Gianfrancesco, Alessia
AU - Di Luigi, Luigi
AU - Stafrace, Kirill Micallef
AU - Ionescu, Anca
AU - Wolfarth, Bernd
AU - Ergün, Metin
AU - Roberts, William O.
AU - Natsis, Konstantinos
AU - Tooth, Camille
AU - Rozenštoka, Sandra
AU - Casajús, José Antonio
AU - Muniz-Pardos, Borja
AU - Nahon, Roberto Lohn
AU - Shroff, Malav
AU - Xie, Minhao
AU - Constantinou, Demitri
AU - van Rensburg, Dina CJanse
AU - Ülkar, Bülent
AU - Jowett, Andrew
AU - Badtieva, Victoriya
AU - Kaux, Jean François
AU - Baumgartl, Peter
AU - Papaellina, Clea Hadjistephanou
AU - Steinacker, Jürgen
AU - Motta-Pensabene, Julio
AU - Reer, Rüdiger
AU - Bachl, Norbert
AU - Migliorini, Sergio
AU - Zahar, Maher
AU - Stuart, Mark
AU - Bilzon, James
AU - Massazza, Giuseppe
AU - Di Pietro, Bruno
AU - Hassan, Khaled Massoud
AU - Drummond, Felix Albuquerque
AU - Fincoeur, Bertrand
AU - Petróczi, Andrea
AU - Pitsiladis, Yannis
PY - 2025/6/16
Y1 - 2025/6/16
N2 - Background: In the pursuit of sporting success, some elite athletes prioritise peak performance over long-term health, frequently resulting in significant and enduring health consequences. The Enhanced Games (TEG) position themselves as a bold experiment in transhumanism, advocating for the use of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), including methods banned by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), to push the boundaries of human athletic potential. Objectives: The aim of this study is to explore the perspectives of sport physicians, sport scientists, physiotherapists and other allied healthcare professionals on treating and supporting “enhanced athletes”, with the view of informing future guidelines. Methods: Participants were invited via email and personal contacts within sport medicine communities to complete a brief anonymous survey via QuestionPro™. Descriptive statistics were performed using Excel™ and RStudio™. Results: A total of 323 healthcare professionals responded (82% were sport physicians), among whom 74% expressed a willingness to treat acute lesions and/or chronic diseases in “enhanced athletes”. In comparison, a considerable minority (30%) expressed support for assisting athletes in their use of PEDs and methods under medically supervised conditions, with high consistency across professional roles. A relatively high readiness was observed in sport physicians treating acute (77% versus 58%; p < 0.01) and chronic (75% versus 63%; p = 0.11) diseases for “enhanced athletes”. As far as WADA rules and/or national anti-doping laws apply, this support presupposes compliance with the code and the respective national laws to protect physicians from serious professional, legal and personal consequences. Conclusion: The preliminary findings align with the broader goal of fostering a sport culture that values both peak performance and the short- and long-term health of all participants. These results emphasise the necessity of implementing professional guidelines and comprehensive support systems designed to safeguard the long-term well-being of all athletes and underscore the urgent need for further research into the impact of TEG on sport and its community.
AB - Background: In the pursuit of sporting success, some elite athletes prioritise peak performance over long-term health, frequently resulting in significant and enduring health consequences. The Enhanced Games (TEG) position themselves as a bold experiment in transhumanism, advocating for the use of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), including methods banned by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), to push the boundaries of human athletic potential. Objectives: The aim of this study is to explore the perspectives of sport physicians, sport scientists, physiotherapists and other allied healthcare professionals on treating and supporting “enhanced athletes”, with the view of informing future guidelines. Methods: Participants were invited via email and personal contacts within sport medicine communities to complete a brief anonymous survey via QuestionPro™. Descriptive statistics were performed using Excel™ and RStudio™. Results: A total of 323 healthcare professionals responded (82% were sport physicians), among whom 74% expressed a willingness to treat acute lesions and/or chronic diseases in “enhanced athletes”. In comparison, a considerable minority (30%) expressed support for assisting athletes in their use of PEDs and methods under medically supervised conditions, with high consistency across professional roles. A relatively high readiness was observed in sport physicians treating acute (77% versus 58%; p < 0.01) and chronic (75% versus 63%; p = 0.11) diseases for “enhanced athletes”. As far as WADA rules and/or national anti-doping laws apply, this support presupposes compliance with the code and the respective national laws to protect physicians from serious professional, legal and personal consequences. Conclusion: The preliminary findings align with the broader goal of fostering a sport culture that values both peak performance and the short- and long-term health of all participants. These results emphasise the necessity of implementing professional guidelines and comprehensive support systems designed to safeguard the long-term well-being of all athletes and underscore the urgent need for further research into the impact of TEG on sport and its community.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=105008248722&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s40279-025-02258-7
DO - 10.1007/s40279-025-02258-7
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:105008248722
SN - 0112-1642
JO - Sports Medicine
JF - Sports Medicine
ER -
