The Science of Performance Enhancing Drugs - Show Me the Science with Luke O'Neill
Description
An Irish Olympian has decided to take a bold and controversial leap. Swimmer Shane Ryan has retired from conventional competition to join the Enhanced Games, a new event where athletes will be allowed to use performance-enhancing drugs.
In this week’s podcast, Professor Luke O’Neill looks at the science and the ethics behind this radical sporting experiment.
The Games’ creator, Aron d’Souza, says he wants to celebrate human potential without the limits imposed by anti-doping rules. Backed by investors such as Peter Thiel and Donald Trump Jr, the Enhanced Games are due to take place in Las Vegas in May 2026, offering up to a million dollars for breaking a world record.
Luke dives into the biology behind enhancement. He explains how testosterone builds muscle mass, how growth hormone boosts recovery, and how EPO (erythropoietin) increases red-blood-cell production and endurance. These substances can deliver extraordinary results, but they also carry dangerous side effects: heart damage, infertility, high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney failure, and even seizures.
Beyond drugs, the Games will also allow prosthetic limbs and high-tech running shoes, pushing the boundary between sport and science fiction. Critics, including the IOC and US Anti-Doping Agency, say it will destroy fair play. D’Souza insists athletes will be medically supervised and screened for safety.
Luke asks what this says about the times we live in — an “age of enhancement” where medicine, tech and ambition blur together. From longevity clinics to performance labs, we’re already chasing upgrades to our own biology.
It might sound like The Hunger Games, but it’s very real — and it’s coming soon.
United States
