Alessia Di Gianfrancesco
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Publications - 1
Health and Performance Challenges in the Era of Human Enhancement: Insights from Sport Medicine Professionals
Francisco Arroyo
Mourad Ghrairi
Ana V. Cintrón
Petra Zupet
Marcelo Bichels Leitão
Umutcan Kayikci
Daniel Arkader Kopile
Fabio Pigozzi
Chiara Fossati
Alessia Di Gianfrancesco
Pedro Manonelles
Anca Ionescu
Bernd Wolfarth
José Antonio Casajús
Borja Muniz-Pardos
Roberto Lohn Nahon
Malav Shroff
Luigi Di Luigi
Kirill Micallef Stafrace
Metin Ergün
William O. Roberts
Julio Motta-Pensabene
Rüdiger Reer
Andrea Petróczi
Konstantinos Natsis
Camille Tooth
Sandra Rozenštoka
Minhao Xie
Demitri Constantinou
Dina CJanse van Rensburg
Andrew Jowett
Victoriya Badtieva
Norbert Bachl
Sergio Migliorini
Maher Zahar
Jürgen Steinacker
Mark Stuart
James Bilzon
Giuseppe Massazza
Bruno Di Pietro
Khaled Massoud Hassan
Ke Hu
Christian Schneider
Mark R. Hutchinson
Emin Ergen
Michael Geistlinger
Iain Killoughery
Bülent Ülkar
Felix Albuquerque Drummond
Bertrand Fincoeur
Yannis Pitsiladis
Klaus Michael Braumann
Anna Jegier
José Kawazoe Lazzoli
Jane Seto
Xavier Bigard
Jean François Kaux
Peter Baumgartl
Clea Hadjistephanou Papaellina
André Debruyne
Theodora Papadopoulou
Publication Name: Sports Medicine
Publication Date: 2025-10-01
Volume: 55
Issue: 10
Page Range: 2627-2640
Description:
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.
Open Access: Yes