Former Team GB Olympic sprinter Reece Prescod has become the latest athlete to join the controversial Enhanced Games, provoking a backlash from UK Athletics.
Prescod has claimed he is “excited to be part of something where I feel valued,” just months after retiring in August last year.
The 29-year-old represented Team GB for almost a decade and won the bronze in the 4x100m relay at the World Championships in 2022.
UKA Chief Executive Jack Buckner labelled the move as “appalling” and underlined his “profound disappointment” in Prescod, who will now return to action in the Enhanced Games event in Las Vegas in May, as reported first by the Times.
“I’m very excited to join the sprinting field and compete in the inaugural Enhanced Games,” said Prescod in a statement.
“The Enhanced medical team is top-tier and has prioritised my safety and well-being from the start.
“I’m eager to push myself to new heights in Las Vegas and race against my fellow sprinters. This is a new chapter for me, and I’m excited to be part of something where I feel valued and talent is recognised,” he added.
While Buckner added in his own statement through UKA: “As a former athlete, I find this particularly appalling. Those of us who have competed know what it takes to succeed the right way — through talent, dedication, and respect for the rules. To see a British athlete aligning themselves with an event that celebrates the use of performance-enhancing drugs is profoundly disappointing.”
Prescod saw success at European and World Championships for Team GB and participated at the delayed Olympics in Tokyo in 2021, though he was disqualified fora false start in the semi-finals of the 100m.
The London-born sprinter broke the ten-second barrier four times in his event, with his personal best of 9.93s making him the fourth-fastest Briton of all time across 100m.
Injury problems derailed parts of Prescod’s career before his retirement, and he also highlighted the “life-changing medical supervision, exceptional training support, and a fantastic compensation model” that the Enhanced games have provided for him.
Prescod’s announcement make his the second British athlete to join the Enhanced Games, with Olympic silver medal-winning swimmer Ben Proud having joined last year.
At the time, the 31-year-old spoke of his ambition “to be the fastest man on the planet” while also citing “a huge financial incentive”, explaining that “it would take me 13 years of winning world championship titles just to earn what I can win at one competition”.
The Enhanced Games will allow athletes to take performance-enhancing drugs that are otherwise banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada). The event will see athletes compete across sports includiung athletics, swimming and weightlifting, and it is scheduled to take place at Resorts World in Las Vegas on 24 May.
Olympic icon Carl Lewis believes Enhanced Games lacks ‘purpose and honour’
Enhanced Games: Lord Sebastian Coe refuses to discuss controversial event
Fred Kerley becomes first track athlete to join Enhanced Games
New investigation reveals failings in gymnastics coach abuse case
Mikaela Shiffrin sweeps slalom as Olympics approach
Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track owes Josh Kerr $218,000, court papers reveal
