Is the world of sports ready for the Enhanced Games?

Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed, founder and CEO of KBW Ventures and Chairman of the Kingdom’s Sports For All Federation. (Supplied)
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Updated 22 May 2025
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Is the world of sports ready for the Enhanced Games?

  • Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed spoke to Arab News about investing in the controversial competition that does away with testing for performance-enhancing substances

In modern parlance, it is what techies would call a “disruptor,” to say the least.

It will take a lot more, however, for sporting fans of earlier generations to get their heads around the concept of the Enhanced Games, which were officially announced on Wednesday and will take place next year in Las Vegas.

Saudi Arabia’s Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal Al-Saud, founder and CEO of KBW Ventures and chairman of the Kingdom’s Sports For All Federation, is the region’s first, and to date only, investor in the tournament that allows athletes to use performance-enhancing substances without being subjected to testing.

Prince Khaled — nicknamed the “Tech Prince” for his investments in startups, among many other fields — is bullish about the potential of the Enhanced Games when asked if the sports world is ready for such a controversial step.

“Look, I like to think of myself as a progressive investor, venture capital typically backs very nascent ideas,” he told Arab News.




Aron D’Souza, left, and Christian Angermayer, co-founders of the Enhanced Games. (Supplied)

“You are always looking for the big idea, the society-changing concept. Then, you attempt to predict and really visualize how and where and when that big idea will prove relevant to the wider world.

“As someone who is pretty involved in sports on both personal and business levels, I think there is a segment of the world who would like to push the limits of human potential,” Prince Khaled said.

“How fast? How far? How long? All questions in sport that someone like me is curious about, and very eager to see. I want to see real-world application, and a competitive approach.”

He accepts that this idea, with all the ethical points and counterpoints it evokes, might take a long time to be accepted in mainstream sports.

“Is the world ready? The world wasn’t ready for most fresh concepts. At the most basic level people weren’t even ready for ride-hailing, now it is considered a must for many all over the world, he said.

“So, whether it is transportation or AI or art or biotechnology or in this case, sport and biohacking, the world is usually not ready for things that have not been done before. That doesn’t mean they should never be done.

“Elite athletes who have never been granted the opportunity to experiment with body autonomy and enhancement exploration can now sign up if they so choose,” said Prince Khaled.

“If you want to talk sports in specific, I also think the world wasn’t ready for MMA, but it’s now one of the biggest crowd draws out there.”

The reaction from the sports community at large has, unsurprisingly, been a negative one.




Four-time Olympic Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev. (Supplied)

In February of last year, a joint statement issued by the International Olympic Committee and the World Anti-Doping Agency condemning the games was supported by The International Fair Play Committee.

“Well, it is voluntary, and it’s like for like. The Games is for those who choose to enroll and compete with enhancements. It is ethical; the ethics rests in equality, safety and transparency.

“There is a disclosure protocol, and everyone knows that everyone else is applying the same types of enhancements and experimenting with biohacking.

“I don’t think I have to justify investing in what I see as a form of competitive sport,” he added. “As long as everyone involved is aware, then it is fair and transparent.”

Prince Khaled is known to be the Middle East North Africa face of venture capital, with investments across artificial intelligence, biotechnology, agricultural and food technology, as well as in the sports-adjacent sector, robotics and broadcast technologies.

One of his biotechnology bets, Colossal Biosciences, recently made headlines with its reported $10.2 billion valuation.

“I met the co-founder of Enhanced Games (Aron D’Souza) at a private conclave staged by FII (Future Investment Initiative) last year in Riyadh. This was my first exposure to the idea of the Enhanced Games.

“It was a closed-door working group held to discuss democratizing access to healthy aging solutions. Some of the foremost figures were present; from stakeholders from the Saudi Health in All Policies committee, to scientists, to entrepreneurs and investors.”

“I do think the Enhanced Games can play an important role here; how better to analyze the effects of enhancement than on elite athletes? People who are in the best possible shape physically that they can be naturally, and then build on that,” he said.

“When your baseline is elite athlete level, then we can really see what biohacking and these enhancements can do.

“I do think it is ethical, because there is no subjectivity and no varying board rules, and because it is upfront and clear about the idea that everyone is competing with their own approach to enhancement.”

Certainly the games seem to appeal to athletes either coming to the end of their careers or ones for whom Olympic and international success remain out of reach. Established figures, including Australian swimming coach Brett Hawke, have backed the idea.

At the age of 31, four-time Olympic Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev will take part in the Enhanced Games, having received a $1 million prize for breaking the long-standing 50-meter freestyle world record with a time of 20.89 seconds.

“Being the first to break a world record at the Enhanced Games means a lot to me. I’m proud to lead the way,” said the athlete who specialized in sprint and butterfly events, and earned a silver in the 50-meter freestyle at the 2019 FINA World Aquatics Championship in South Korea.

However, having not consistently been at the top of the sport, he sees these Games as an opportunity to make up for missed opportunities.

“One year at the Enhanced Games could earn me more than six Olympic cycles combined,” Gkolomeev told Arab News. “I’ve never had this kind of support; doctors, nutritionists, therapists, all working to make me better.”

Prince Khaled accepts that participation will depend entirely on the choices of the individual athletes and their particular circumstances.

“There are athletes who are not going to want to join, and then there are those who will be the early adopters,” he said. “At launch, there is already a record-breaker, who just won a million dollars.

“Is this going to make everyone rush to sign up? No, but this will definitely spark some honest and much-needed discussions about the irregularities between sporting rules and different governing bodies, and the allegations of unfair treatment levied against some athletes over others.”

“Democratizing access to aging solutions is what first interested me in the Games, and then I began to think of the implications on sport.

“I’m sure you know about the politics involved when deciding which athletes were accused of using enhancements, in several instances countries felt their athletes were unfairly targeted.

“At the Enhanced Games, this political maneuvering is completely removed from the equation. I bet if you ask the athletes that felt they were wrongly maligned, they would be pretty quick to agree that politics played a role.”

In its statement last year, the International Fair Play Committee said the Games “represent a potentially catastrophic healthcare risk” to the athletes.

The Enhanced Games’ website meanwhile promises medical vigilance and safe participation for the athletes. Critics will rightly question just where the line is drawn in terms of the use of performance-enhancing substances.

“To my knowledge, there are two cohorts, one is enhanced with their own resources and medical guidance, and one cohort that is officially under the Enhanced Games,” said Prince Khaled.

“For the second cohort, there is a full treatment protocol lined up for athletes.

“They will definitely have better medical guidance and access to the latest in monitoring methodologies and technologies with the Enhanced Games than they have ever had in their professional sporting careers.”

“Everyone knows one of the biggest barriers to elite athletics is cost,” he added. “The Enhanced Games is bringing the best medical and scientific protocols and giving the athletes access to that.

“To bring this conversation full circle, this is something enabled by funding, and in venture capital, funding is, most of the time, allocated to groundbreaking entities and ideas.”

Prince Khaled said he is a “cautious believer in biohacking” which is, simply stated, the optimization of nutrition to enhance energy, cognitive function, and overall health and well-being.

“I think longevity medicine and healthspan and various other biotechnology sectors are burgeoning for a reason.

“KBW Ventures is invested in biotechnology, health tech, medtech, and with the Enhanced Games, I consider it kind of an ultimate biohacking opportunity for elite athletes,” he said.

“I expect that so much valuable scientific data on reversing biological age, and repair and so much more is going to come out of the Enhanced Games,” Prince Khaled added.

“On a separate note, the athletes that participate in the Games have to undergo what is termed health testing, ensuring that they are fit to compete. They also need to disclose everything that they are using to enhance their performance.”

At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, the world of athletics was shaken to its core when Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson was stripped of the gold medal he had won with a world record time of 9.79 seconds.

Author Richard Moore’s “The Dirtiest Race in History” remains a seminal read on the events of Sept. 24, 1988. Since then, many other athletes have been banned from participating, or stripped of medals, for similar offences with increasingly less fanfare and shock.

But is the world ready now to consign such considerations to history?

The clock is now ticking toward the first Enhanced Game. It remains a tough, if not almost impossible sell, for a sporting community brought up on the concepts of fair play and the dangers of performance-enhancing drugs.

Whether the world is ready for these Games, and how the future will judge these developments, remain open questions.


Why the US might finally start calling soccer ‘football’

Updated 17 July 2025
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Why the US might finally start calling soccer ‘football’

It is the world’s most popular sport and yet there is still debate over what it should actually be called.
Is it football or soccer?
US President Donald Trump waded into the topic while at the Club World Cup final in New Jersey last Sunday. He joked that he could pass an executive order to bring the United States in line with much of the rest of the world and ensure that from now on Americans refer to it as football.
“I think I could do that,” he said with a smile during an interview with host broadcaster DAZN.
It was a light-hearted comment, but at a time when the US is playing an increasingly significant role in soccer the question of why Americans continue to call it by a different name to the one by which it is most commonly known has been raised again.
“They call it football, we call it soccer. I’m not sure that change could be made very easily,” Trump said.
Soccer keeps growing in the US and so does its influence on the sport. It is co-hosting the men’s World Cup with Canada and Mexico next year — the third year in a row that it stages a major tournament after the 2024 Copa America and this summer’s Club World Cup.
Other factors are keeping soccer more often in the US consciousness — and perhaps they will make saying ”football” more commonplace in a tough sporting landscape.
One of the greatest players of all time, Lionel Messi, plays for MLS team Inter Miami; the popularity of the Premier League and Champions League is booming; and the documentary series “Welcome to Wrexham” about a low-level Welsh club co-owned by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, has attracted new eyeballs.
Don’t blame Americans for calling it soccer
Despite “soccer” being widely associated with the US, it is commonly accepted that the word was actually coined in Britain, perhaps as far back as the 1880s.
The exact date when it was first used is not known, but it is believed “soccer” was derived from “association football,” which was the first official name of the sport.
The charity English Heritage says the nickname may have first been used by pupils at the iconic Harrow School to “distinguish the new association game from their older pursuit, known as ‘footer.’”
Numerous versions of football began to flourish, often involving handling a ball more than kicking it. One example dating back to the 1600s and still played today in England is Royal Shrovetide. Rugby is another example.
The English Football Association was created in 1863 and drew up codified rules for associated football to set it apart from other versions being played elsewhere in Britain and, from there, soccer as we know it was born.
Dr. Stefan Szymanski, a professor of sport management at the University of Michigan, co-wrote the book “It’s Football, Not Soccer ” and explored the origins of the name. In a lecture to the American University of Beirut in 2019 he said soccer was “very clearly a word of English/British origin.”
“And bear in mind that the name ‘association football’ doesn’t really appear until the 1870s,” he said, “so it appears really very early on in the history of the game and the word ‘soccer’ has been used over and over again since it was coined at the end of the 19th century.”
Soccer was a commonly used term in Britain
“Soccer” is not a commonly used term in Britain these days but that has not always been the case.
It was the title of a popular Saturday morning television show, “Soccer AM,” which ran from 1994 to 2023 on the Premier League’s host broadcaster Sky Sports.
England great and 1966 World Cup winner Bobby Charlton ran popular schools for decades, titled “Bobby Charlton’s Soccer School.”
And Matt Busby — Manchester United’s iconic manager who won the 1968 European Cup — titled his autobiography, which was published in 1974, “Soccer at the Top, My Life in Football.”
That book title suggests the terms “soccer” and “football” were interchangeable in British culture at that time.
Perhaps the word ‘soccer’ isn’t the real problem
Szymanski suggested the problem some people have with “soccer” isn’t the word at all. But rather that it is specifically used in America.
“It’s when Americans use this word that we get the outpourings of distress and horror, and one of the most popular thoughts that people throw at this is to say that American football is not really football,” he said in his lecture.
He argued that given the overwhelming popularity of the NFL in the US it makes perfect sense to differentiate between soccer and its own version of football.
Not just Americans call it soccer
The use of the word “soccer” is a bit more confused in other countries.
Australia, which has its own Australian rules football along with both rugby codes, commonly uses the term and its national men’s team are known as the Socceroos. It’s soccer federation, however, is called Football Australia.
It’s a similar situation in Ireland, where Gaelic football is popular. The term “soccer” is used but the national soccer team is still governed by a body called the Football Association of Ireland.
Canada, like the US simply calls it soccer, which clearly distinguishes it from the NFL and Canadian Football League.
The Associated Press stylebook says soccer is the preferred term in the US but notes that “around the world the sport is referred to as football.”


La Liga, Thmanyah sign partnership to boost quality of Saudi football broadcasts

Updated 17 July 2025
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La Liga, Thmanyah sign partnership to boost quality of Saudi football broadcasts

  • Agreement signed in London

LONDON: Riyadh Season announced on Thursday its sponsorship of a strategic partnership between La Liga and Thmanyah, the exclusive broadcaster of Saudi football competitions, in an initiative aimed at enhancing the audiovisual production standards of the Saudi Pro League.

The agreement was signed in London by Faisal Bafarat, CEO of the General Entertainment Authority, on behalf of Riyadh Season; Javier Tebas, the president of La Liga; and Abdulrahman Abumalih, founder and CEO of Thmanyah, a subsidiary of the Saudi Research and Media Group. The signing ceremony was attended by SRMG’s CEO Jomana Al-Rashed.

The agreement was signed in London by Faisal Bafarat, CEO of the General Entertainment Authority, on behalf of Riyadh Season; Javier Tebas, the president of La Liga; and Abdulrahman Abumalih, founder and CEO of Thmanyah, a subsidiary of the Saudi Research and Media Group. The signing ceremony was attended by SRMG’s CEO Jomana Al-Rashed. (Supplied)

Under the agreement La Liga will provide technical consultancy to elevate production quality across SPL broadcasts. Areas of focus include improved camera positioning, signal configuration, and audio systems, along with enhanced lighting distribution in stadiums. The collaboration will also develop a technical production manual and introduce modern broadcast workflows.

Another key element of the partnership involves training programs designed to upskill local production teams and ensure the sustainable transfer of knowledge. La Liga will also work closely with Saudi stakeholders to formulate a robust anti-piracy strategy to protect premium sports and entertainment content across the Kingdom.

Turki Alalshikh, the head of the GEA and Riyadh Season, described the move as a continuation of Riyadh Season’s commitment to extending its global footprint.

He noted that last year’s sponsorship of La Liga marked a key milestone in that journey, with the latest partnership further reinforcing the season’s impact across sports and entertainment sectors.

Tebas said: “We are pleased to join forces with Riyadh Season and Thmanyah to enhance the audiovisual production standards of the Saudi Pro League.

“We already have a strong working relationship, and we look forward to building on that to deliver world-class broadcast experiences. At La Liga we are committed to sharing our knowledge and expertise to support football’s global growth, and this initiative is an important step forward for Saudi football’s international visibility.”


Scheffler makes bright British Open start before McIlroy takes center stage

Updated 17 July 2025
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Scheffler makes bright British Open start before McIlroy takes center stage

  • Scheffler, though, is well-placed to launch his challenge for a fourth major and a first Claret Jug despite a series of wayward tee shots
  • McIlroy is the star attraction for the close to 280,000 spectators set to attend the four days of play

PORTRUSH, UK: World number one Scottie Scheffler made a fine start to the British Open with a three-under par round at a rain-swept Royal Portrush on Thursday before home favorite Rory McIlroy began his tournament in front of huge crowds.

Former US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick, China’s Li Haotong and Dane Jacob Skov Olesen hold the clubhouse lead at four under par after enjoying the better of the weather conditions in early tee-off times.

Scheffler, though, is well-placed to launch his challenge for a fourth major and a first Claret Jug despite a series of wayward tee shots.

The American hit just three fairways but still produced one of the best rounds of the day thanks to his brilliant approach play.

“When it’s raining sideways, it’s actually, believe it or not, not that easy to get the ball in the fairway. Thank you guys all for pointing that out,” he told reporters.

Scheffler raised eyebrows with his pre-tournament comments that his is “not a fulfilling life” due to his relentless quest for more success.

He battled his way through the first 15 holes at one under thanks to birdies at the third, seventh and 10th before finding his touch with another birdie at the “Calamity Corner” 16th and nearly holing an approach for eagle at the 17th.

Scheffler is aiming to become only the second player to win the British Open when ranked the world number one after Tiger Woods, who achieved that feat on three occasions.

Shane Lowry, champion when the British Open returned to Portrush for the first time in 68 years in 2019, and two-time major champion Jon Rahm finished at one under.

Defending champion Xander Schauffele is one further back at even par as he seeks to refind his top form after a frustrating 2025 so far.

McIlroy’s attempt to win a second Open Championship on his return to Northern Ireland takes center stage in the afternoon action.

The world number two is determined to make amends for his disastrous start at Portrush six years ago when a quadruple bogey at the opening hole, on his way to a first-round 79, saw him miss the cut.

McIlroy is the star attraction for the close to 280,000 spectators set to attend the four days of play at the final major of the year and showed signs of nerves as a wayward tee shot at the first led to an opening hole bogey.

But he bounced back immediately to pick up a shot at the par-five second before birdies at the fifth, seventh and 10th took the Masters champion to three under with eight holes to play.

McIlroy’s charge, though, could be disrupted by warnings of thunderstorms set to strike the north Irish coast.

Earlier, Lee Westwood rolled back the years with an impressive 69 that promised even more until two bogeys on the final five holes.

The 52-year-old, widely regarded as one of the best players never to win a major, came through qualifying to make his first Open Championship appearance since 2022.

“I love the Open Championship and I love Portrush,” said the Englishman. “That’s part of the reason why I tried to qualify.”

Two-time champion Padraig Harrington of Ireland was handed the honor of getting the tournament underway with the opening tee shot at 6:35 am local time.

“The grandstand was full, the first fairway was full, the first green was full,” said Harrington. “Those crowds were spectacular at that hour of the morning. It was really great.”


Luka Modric won’t stand for the mediocrity that his new club AC Milan displayed last season

Updated 17 July 2025
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Luka Modric won’t stand for the mediocrity that his new club AC Milan displayed last season

  • “Milan cannot be satisfied with average,” Modric told Milan TV
  • “When I grew up, I used to watch a lot of the Italian league and Milan was my favorite team”

MILAN: Luka Modric grew up supporting AC Milan because his idol and fellow Croat, Zvonimir Boban, played for the club.

And because Milan in the 1990s were one of the strongest teams in Europe.

So now that the 39-year-old former Ballon d’Or winner has joined the Rossoneri after 13 seasons at Real Madrid, he won’t stand for the mediocrity that Milan displayed last season for an eighth-placed finish in Serie A that excluded the squad from Europe this coming season.

“Milan cannot be satisfied with average,” Modric told Milan TV. “They need to have (the) biggest goals possible, to win titles, to compete with the best teams in the world. And that’s why I’m here.”

Modric was shown a photo of himself wearing a Milan warmup suit as a child.

“When I grew up, I used to watch a lot of the Italian league and Milan was my favorite team,” he said.

“At the time in Croatia we followed Milan a lot because they were one of the most popular clubs in the world. And also because there was Zvonimir Boban who was my idol.”

On Monday, Modric signed a one-year contract with Milan that includes an option for another season.

“I wanted to stay in Europe, continue playing competitive football,” he said. “I had some other offers but when Milan showed up for me it was clear from the first moment … What also impressed me (was) how (sporting) director Igli Tare came to Croatia to present me the project.”

Milan rehired Massimiliano Allegri as the coach after last season, replacing the fired Sergio Conceicao. Allegri won the Italian league for the first time with Milan in 2011, then guided Juventus to five straight titles from 2015-19. Tare was also hired recently.

“What I want to bring there is to win, to help my teammates in every aspect, to work hard, to earn my place in the team,” Modric said.

“Nothing can come easy in your life. You have to work. You have to fight.”

With Milan winger Rafael Leão holding onto the No. 10 shirt, Modric will return to the No. 14 he once wore for Croatia and at Tottenham.

Leão was the Serie A MVP when Milan won the league in 2022 but has since performed inconsistently and clashed with the team managers.

“Leão,” Modric said, “is the present and future of Milan.”


Three-time Grand Slam finalist Jabeur announces break from tennis

Updated 17 July 2025
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Three-time Grand Slam finalist Jabeur announces break from tennis

  • Tunisia’s Jabeur has struggled with her form in recent months
  • “Right now, I feel it’s time to take a step back and finally put myself first,” she said

TUNIS: Three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur is taking a break from competitive tennis, the 30-year-old said in a social media post on Thursday.

Tunisia’s Jabeur, the first Arab woman to reach a Grand Slam final, has struggled with her form in recent months, failing to get past the third round of a major this year.

The two-time Wimbledon finalist’s campaign came to a disappointing end at the All England Club last month as she retired from her first-round clash against Viktoriya Tomova, unable to continue after a long medical timeout.


The former world number two suffers from asthma and experienced breathing difficulties at this year’s Australian Open.

Jabeur, often called the ‘minister of happiness’ for her cheerful personality, said she was not feeling truly happy on the court.

“For the past two years, I’ve been pushing myself so hard, fighting through injuries and facing many other challenges. But deep down, I haven’t truly felt happy on the court for some time now,” she said in a statement.

“Tennis is such a beautiful sport. But right now, I feel it’s time to take a step back and finally put myself first: to breathe, to heal, and to rediscover the joy of simply living.”

Jabeur, married to former fencer Karim Kamoun, has also been open about her wish to start a family.

“Thank you to all my fans for understanding. Your support and love mean the world to me. I carry it with me always,” she added.