Photo: World Aquatics

The World Aquatics passed a bylaw against doping enablers on Tuesday, making it the first international sports federation to ban athletes, coaches and officials from its events if they have taken part in the controversial Enhanced Games, according to a statement sent to the Global Times by the world's aquatic sports governing body. 

"Under the new bylaw, ­individuals who support, ­endorse, or participate in ­sporting events that embrace the use of scientific advancements or other practices that may include prohibited substances and/or prohibited methods will not be eligible to hold positions with the World Aquatics or to participate in any World Aquatics ­competitions, events, or other activities," World Aquatics said in the statement after a ­meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland. 

The bylaw is seen as a direct response to the Enhanced Games, which are scheduled to take place in Las Vegas, the US, in May 2026. 

The event, which openly condones doping by athletes and claims that "sport will be safer without doping controls," has caused an uproar in the global sports community and has drawn widespread condemnation from many stakeholders.

"Those who enable doped sport are not welcome at the World Aquatics or our events," said World Aquatics President Husain al Musallam. 

"This new bylaw ensures that we can continue to protect the integrity of our competitions, the health and safety of our athletes, and the credibility of the global aquatics community."

The event organizers, who openly permit the use of performance-enhancing drugs, violate the principles of fair competition and are also paving the way to their own downfall, Wang Dazhao, a Beijing-based sports commentator, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Every sport is built on fair play within a framework of rules. Once those rules are ­deliberately undermined, the very spirit of sports - striving for excellence and pushing ­human physical limits - becomes meaningless, Wang noted. 

World Aquatics added that "people, organizations and competitions that promote or enable doping have no place in aquatics" and it will make ­decisions regarding ­ineligibility on a case-by-case basis. 

In May, the China Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA) expressed firm opposition to the Enhanced Games and called on the global sports community to stand united in rejecting the event.

Although the Enhanced Games use "the achievements of science and technology should be celebrated" as a promotional slogan, it is in fact a distorted competition that turns pure sports competition into a drug contest, which seriously contradicts the purpose of the World Anti-Doping Code (Code) and severely threatens the physical and mental health of athletes as well as the spirit of sports, said CHINADA in a statement.

"We strongly urge the US Anti-Doping Agency to follow the Code and International Standards and take decisive measures to oppose the ­Enhanced Games and to refrain from hegemonic actions under the pretext of reforming the global anti-doping system," CHINADA said.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) also condemned the Enhanced Games as a dangerous and irresponsible concept in a statement in May.

"The health and well-being of athletes is WADA's No.1 priority. Clearly this event would jeopardize that, as it seeks to promote the use of powerful substances and methods by athletes for the purposes of entertainment and marketing," said WADA.

WADA warned that the consequences of performance-enhancing drugs use extend far beyond sports. 

"Over the years, there have been many examples of athletes suffering serious long-term side effects from their use of prohibited drugs. Some have died."