Health and Performance Challenges in the Era of Human Enhancement: Insights from Sport Medicine Professionals

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

DOI: 10.1007/s40279-025-02258-7

Authors - 61

Francisco Arroyo

57220209178

Mourad Ghrairi

56272724100

Ana V. Cintrón

57220211007

Petra Zupet

24170298600

Marcelo Bichels Leitão

12753300100

Umutcan Kayikci

58914491600

Daniel Arkader Kopile

59946959600

Fabio Pigozzi

16948474700

Chiara Fossati

56689496800

Alessia Di Gianfrancesco

36570313100

Pedro Manonelles

8766322400

Anca Ionescu

56304168100

Bernd Wolfarth

6602363183

José Antonio Casajús

6506387083

Borja Muniz-Pardos

57202404132

Roberto Lohn Nahon

57226554019

Malav Shroff

57219906795

Luigi Di Luigi

6602069578

Kirill Micallef Stafrace

56888798800

Metin Ergün

7004366649

William O. Roberts

7403316359

Julio Motta-Pensabene

59947146800

Rüdiger Reer

6602533318

Andrea Petróczi

23028646700

Konstantinos Natsis

6603342986

Camille Tooth

57203547076

Sandra Rozenštoka

55198949000

Minhao Xie

59947334000

Demitri Constantinou

37123457300

Dina CJanse van Rensburg

59947520200

Andrew Jowett

7005822165

Victoriya Badtieva

6506797694

Norbert Bachl

57202240334

Sergio Migliorini

6701857117

Maher Zahar

57226137122

Jürgen Steinacker

57204495459

Mark Stuart

13004364300

James Bilzon

6602566985

Giuseppe Massazza

15029993300

Bruno Di Pietro

57196046709

Khaled Massoud Hassan

59946778200

Ke Hu

59726174600

Christian Schneider

57654245500

Mark R. Hutchinson

7201506620

Emin Ergen

23396328200

Michael Geistlinger

57195303344

Iain Killoughery

59333985600

Bülent Ülkar

6602787803

Felix Albuquerque Drummond

57220205398

Bertrand Fincoeur

35768846400

Yannis Pitsiladis

6602991841

Klaus Michael Braumann

6701575918

Anna Jegier

6603259145

José Kawazoe Lazzoli

12753446600

Jane Seto

22036307000

Xavier Bigard

7005217551

Jean François Kaux

16425976600

Peter Baumgartl

6701737037

Clea Hadjistephanou Papaellina

59947520300

André Debruyne

17433911700

Theodora Papadopoulou

57205063873