Retired swimming champion James Magnussen faces potential legal and ethical issues after declaring he will deliberately dope in an unofficial attempt to break the 50m freestyle world record.
Magnussen is to be paid US$1 million to make the attempt at the Enhanced Games, a sort of Olympics without drug testing that has been condemned by the Australian Olympic Committee as “dangerous and irresponsible.”
“I want to approach this the right way,” Magnussen said on Instagram on Friday.
Photo: Reuters
“So I want to go to America. I want to get the right advice. I want to take the right supplements. I don’t know much about that world so I want to do my research. I want to have the right team behind me,” he wrote.
BREAKING THE LAW
Using performance-enhancing substances is against the law in many nations.
In the US, many performance-enhancing drugs are illegal.
Using anabolic steroids without a prescription, for instance, can lead to a one-year prison term.
‘FARCICAL’
In an interview last year with CNN, Travis Tygart, the chief executive of the US Anti-Doping Agency, called the idea of the Enhanced Games “farcical ... likely illegal in many [US] states” and “a dangerous clown show, not real sport.”
Magnussen said he wants to document his effort on video and “show how it can be done safely, properly and create an athlete that we haven’t seen before.”
Brazil’s Cesar Cielo set the 50m freestyle world record of 20.91 seconds in 2009 in a rubberized suit that was then banned.
WORLD CHAMPION
The 32-year-old Magnussen has a personal best of 21.52 seconds in the 50m freestyle that he set 11 years ago. He is a two-time world champion in the 100m freestyle, and won Olympics medals in 2012 and 2016.
The time and venue of the Enhanced Games have yet to be announced.
Tallon Griekspoor on Friday stunned top seed Alexander Zverev 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/4) in the second round at Indian Wells, avenging a devastating loss to the German at Roland Garros last year. Zverev, the world No. 2 who is heading the field of the prestigious ATP Masters event with No. 1 Jannik Sinner serving a three-month drugs ban, is the first Indian Wells men’s top seed to lose his opening match since Andy Murray in 2017. It was a cherished win for Griekspoor, who had lost five straight matches — including four last year — to the German. That included a five-setter
Five-time champion Novak Djokovic on Saturday tumbled out of the Indian Wells ATP Masters, falling in his first match to lucky loser Botic van de Zandschulp as two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz advanced. “No excuses for a poor performance,” 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic said after 37 unforced errors in a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 defeat. “It doesn’t feel great when you play this way on the court,” he said. “But congratulations to my opponent — just a bad day in the office, I guess, for me.” Djokovic is just the latest in Van de Zandschulp’s string of superstar victims. He
Manchester United on Thursday settled for a 1-1 draw with Real Sociedad in the first leg of their Europa League round-of-16 tie. United led on Joshua Zirkzee’s goal in the 58th minute, but the hosts equalized 12 minutes later after Bruno Fernandes’ hand ball and Mikel Oyarzabal sent Andre Onana the wrong way from the penalty spot. The Europa League could be a way for United to finish the season with a trophy after crashing out of the FA Cup on Sunday. A spot in the quarter-finals is to be on the line at Old Trafford in the second leg on Thursday next
Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday held their nerve to beat Liverpool 4-1 on penalties and reach the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals after their tie finished one-apiece on aggregate, while Bayern Munich saw off Bayer 04 Leverkusen to complete a 5-0 win over both legs. Lamine Yamal and Raphinha fired Barcelona into the next round as the Catalans bested SL Benfica 3-1, and Inter booked a last-eight meeting with Bayern by seeing off Feyenoord 2-1. At Anfield, Ousmane Dembele netted the only goal of the night as PSG bounced back from Liverpool’s late winner last week to force the tie to extra-time and penalties. Maligned
RSS