Episode 343

The Enhanced Games: Performance, Risk and Athlete Choice

October 26th, 2026

33 mins 29 secs

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science for sport science for sport podcast richard graves maximilian martin max martin enhanced games enhanced sports science sport science elite sport human performance performance enhancement performance-enhancing drugs doping in sport anti-doping athlete welfare athlete health sports ethics informed consent medical supervision athlete monitoring recovery training adaptation swimming sprinting weightlifting high performance sport

About this Episode

Where should sport draw the line on performance enhancement, and who should decide?
This week, Richard Graves welcomes Maximilian Martin, co-founder and CEO of Enhanced, the company behind the Enhanced Games, to discuss one of sport’s most controversial subjects: a competition that permits certain performance-enhancing substances prohibited in mainstream sport.

Maximilian explains the thinking behind the Games and makes his case for a different approach to athlete choice, medical oversight and competition. Richard questions what medical supervision involves, how athletes are informed about potential consequences, and the distinction between monitoring health and establishing long-term safety.
They also reflect on the inaugural event in Las Vegas, why performances did not always match expectations, and how training, technique and the demands of competition remain central to results. Maximilian shares his interpretation of the athletes’ performances and discusses the role he believes recovery played in their preparation.
For practitioners, coaches and anyone following the debate, this conversation examines the tensions between sporting rules, individual choice and athlete welfare. It also considers the responsibilities that come with promoting enhancement to a wider audience, including the potential influence on younger people.

In this episode you will learn

  • How Maximilian defines “enhanced” competition and how its rules differ from mainstream sport.
  • His reasoning for allowing certain performance-enhancing substances under medical supervision.
  • How he describes Enhanced’s athlete screening, monitoring and individual preparation programmes.
  • The questions Richard raises about informed consent, potential side effects and Why allowing enhancement does not remove the importance of training, technique and competition-day performance.
  • What Maximilian believes the inaugural Games revealed about preparation, recovery and personal bests.
  • How he responds to concerns about role models, younger audiences and the wider influence of the Games.

About Maximilian Martin
Maximilian Martin is the co-founder and CEO of Enhanced, the company behind the Enhanced Games. Originally from Germany, he began his career in investment banking in London before moving into entrepreneurship, including a business in Bitcoin mining. In this episode, he discusses his involvement in developing Enhanced and presents the organisation’s position on performance enhancement in sport.

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