Evan Dunfee approached for doping the Olympics? With the Canadian Flag held high over his head, he crossed the line to become the first World Champion of the 2025 World Athletics Championships, recording 2:28:22 in the men’s 35km race walk. But then he gets asked for something he might never have thought of. Enhanced Games allegedly wanted the World Champion. How did he react?

Dunfee took to X account on September 16, tweeting, “I’ve never had anyone so glaringly miss what I stand for. #cleansport“. Attached to these words was a screenshot of his conversation with someone claiming to be from Enhanced Games. Now, if you don’t know, Enhanced Games will allow athletes to use performance-enhancing substances without being subject to drug tests. Those behind the proposal claim it will be the Olympics of the future, allowing athletes to take drugs in a bid to break world records.

The person claiming to be from these games first congratulated the Canadian on the win, to which he was greeted with a thank you. “Your message rang so loud and clear! I work for the Enhanced Games and I advocate to pay athletes (like they do in the NBA, NHL, MBA, etc..and why not us?! We train just as hard!” the person on the other side replied. Evan has been vocal about money in track and field. Two weeks ago, he made a tweet comparing how the prize money has only increased by $10,00o between 2003 and 2025, how the Canadian fund has been the same since 2017, and the decrease in race prize money in the last 15 years.

Replaying, the World Champion said, “I’m sorry to be blunt, but you don’t understand my message at all if you work for the Enhanced Games. While I spoke briefly about the privileges this financial windfall will bring me in my personal life, no where in my message do I say that there are shortcuts to be taken; that the simple pursuit of our own personal potential isn’t enough to inspire others.” Enhanced games are offering US$250,000 to event winners and US$1,000,000 bonus for breaking the World record. The shortcut Evan is referring to is to take the performance-enhancing substances and claim this prize money, skipping all the hard work.

He clarified that his message is that an athlete’s true worth lies in inspiring their communities by showing that any dream is worth pursuing, and that striving for that dream is what shapes and improves us as individuals. “The Enhanced Games are the antithesis of that message. The Enhanced Games are a valueless spectacle that jeopardizes the ability of clean athletes to inspire their neighbours. I’d personally rather never make another cent in sport than ever fathom breaking that unwritten contract with my community.” Evan Dunfee’s integrity in the track and field community is unwavering. No amount of money is forcing the world champion to inject himself for money, and the whole of track and field agrees.

Track and Field stands against Enhanced Games

Enhanced Games have been fought against by many, and track and field is a part of it. David Rudisha is one of the elites of track and field, an Olympic gold medalist in 2012 and 2016. Speaking over Enhanced Games, he said, “The integrity of the sport needs to be protected at all times. This is not a good thing and just brings a lot of confusion to people and sponsors.” His statement also becomes important because the Kenyan middle-distance runner set the men’s 800 meters world record with a time of 1:40.91 at the 2012 London Olympics.

The World Athletics president, ­Sebastian Coe, also criticized the games. He said, “It’s bollocks, isn’t it?. I can’t really get excited about it. There’s only one message, and that is if anybody is moronic enough to officially take part in it, and they are in the traditional part of our sport, they’ll get banned for a long time. But I really don’t get sleepless nights about it.” The WA president has made it clear to track and field athletes: take part in the Enhanced Games, and get banned.

WADA has also spoken againt them. In a statement, they said, “The health and well-being of athletes is WADA’s number-one 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.” The 2026 Enhanced Games, which will take place in Las Vegas from May 21-24, will include swimming, athletics, and weightlifting events. What are your thoughts about it?