PARIS (AP) — Any French athlete participating in the Enhanced Games will face sanctions, French sports authorities said Friday, after suspended sprinter Mouhamadou Fall announced he would take part in the startup Olympic-style sports venture which promises no drug testing.
The ministry of sports, the French Olympic committee and the French Anti-Doping Agency (AFLD) said in a joint statement that Fall is currently suspended for two consecutive anti-doping rule violations.
He is the first French athlete to join the event which will debut in May in Las Vegas, featuring swimming, track and weightlifting competitions and allowing athletes to use performance enhancers.
Fall won several national titles in the 100 and 200 meters between 2019 and 2023. He has not been licensed with the French track and field federation since 2023.
“I have dedicated my life to running, and I believe in pushing the boundaries of what is possible," Fall said in a statement released by organizers. “The Enhanced Games offers a stage where athletes can explore their full potential, free from restrictions that stifle peak performance. I am excited to be the first French athlete to sign up and look forward to competing against the best in the world.”
The AFLD said it will carry out testing ahead of the Enhanced Games, both in France and abroad, on any French athlete who declares an intention to take part, and it will enforce penalties for banned substances.
The Enhanced Games will offer a prize purse of $500,000 for each event with $1 million bonuses going to anyone who unofficially breaks a world record in the 100-meter sprint (track) and 50-meter freestyle (swimming).
“The organizers of this competition seek to encourage athletes to break records by allowing the use of performance-enhancing drugs,” the French sports authorities said. “This initiative is a denial of the sporting spirit and a serious threat to participants’ health, as well as a damaging distortion of athletic achievement.”
In their statement, they also warned against the possible emergence of “a new form of institutionalized doping, promoted by unscrupulous private actors willing to sacrifice sporting integrity and public health for the sake of a manufactured spectacle.”
AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports
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