British sprinter’s decision to join the Enhanced Games has rightly been condemned, writes Katharine Merry, but it also raises some big questions and there is a way that it could serve an important purpose.
We’re only into February and already 2026 has been a topsy turvy year. On one hand, the early stages of the indoor season have provided lots to get excited about, while records have tumbled on the roads, too.
However, sadly the biggest headline grabber – certainly in the UK – has been Reece Prescod’s saddening and maddening decision to sign up for the Enhanced Games. I was in two minds about whether or not to even write about this subject, as it galls me to give this event any form of publicity. Yet I think this case raises some important points and questions, so please bear with me.
A quick reminder, in case you’ve managed to erase the Enhanced Games from your mind, as to what they are. This is a competition being staged in Las Vegas in May, at which athletes are allowed to take performance-enhancing drugs that are banned in mainstream sport. Competitors are being paid handsomely to take part, too.
I’m not surprised there has been such a significant backlash to Reece’s decision but, with something like this, I also think it’s important to take a step back when considering it all.
When athletes make announcements or make decisions – whether it be deciding to retire, switching to a different event or changing allegiance to another country – the first question I ask myself is: “Why would somebody do that? What are the reasons behind it?”.
In Reece’s case, it’s perfectly natural for the first reaction to be: “I wouldn’t do that. That’s crazy”. That was my first reaction, too, but I also like to try to come at things from a place of understanding.
He has spoken at length about how difficult it was financially to support his career as a top level sprinter, which is one the reasons why he decided to call it a day last year at just 29. I know he was still connected to the sport through coaching but some athletes find the transition from competing into retirement a tough one, so I can understand if you’re struggling to shake off that routine, the discipline or the identity of being an athlete then an opportunity like this will be tempting because it gives you the chance to keep living that life.
I get that side of it, and it’s an illustration of how tough athletics is that the fourth-fastest Briton in history over 100m – with a PB of 9.93 – has found it so difficult to make a living from the sport. But he isn’t the first to come across that issue, and there have been plenty of others who haven’t resorted to this kind of answer as a way of solving the problem. In my view, this isn’t the right way to do it. There are other options for staying in the sport that are far better than this one.
He told AW last year that he wanted to “inspire more children and stay involved in athletics” but this whole sorry affair could be damaging for him in so many ways. He says he has been clean throughout his career – and there is certainly no evidence to suggest otherwise – so why on earth would he jump into an event of this nature?
He also says that he is not intending to take any drugs at the Enhanced Games – competitors are allowed to choose whether they do so or not – but I also find that, in itself, baffling. As a concept, the clue is in the title, so if you’re then going to have competitors who aren’t enhanced, then what’s the point? Most people look at that and say: “Well, that’s track and field anyway”. It just makes it confusing and, to me, that’s one huge flaw in an already hugely flawed plan.
Ironically, though, those rules and caveats do actually give Reece a little bit of a lifeline in being able to emerge from this whole sorry affair with a shred of credibility, if he plays it right. If the whole thing was fully enhanced then there’s no way of him coming back from that. But if he continues with his policy of “I’m not taking the drugs” and then gets his backside kicked by people that have been taking them, then he can say: “I did it my way, and look how much the people who’ve taken drugs have an advantage. This is the difference that drugs make in sport.”
He can easily put a spin on it, make a case study of it, start what could be an important discussion about the more uncomfortable aspects of our sport, and then potentially serve some sort of purpose. The problem is that he hasn’t pitched it correctly, right from the start. On the other hand, if he goes out and runs 9.8, then he’s dead – because no-one will believe he’s done it clean.
From the outside, it looks like someone dangling money in front of him was just too hard to resist. Is his biggest motivation wanting to continue the lifestyle, the routine and be an athlete? Probably not. The biggest motivation is probably paying his bills and earning money. You can’t criticise someone for that, but choosing to do it this way is just plain wrong.
Anyway, enough said on all of that, so let’s end on a more positive note. I was already excited about this year and the opening weeks of the indoor season have done nothing to temper my expectations. We’ve seen Dina Asher-Smith getting off to a solid start with her new coaching regime, the men’s 800m indoor world record has been broken, Yaroslava Mahuchikh is jumping well again and we’ll see Keely Hodgkinson back on an indoor track again at the British championships this month. Oh and Femke Bol has also made her exciting debut at 800m.
The Enhanced Games might be casting a dark shadow, but there are still so many bright spots on the horizon.
