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Kensey McMahon is offered participation in the Enhanced Games after doping ban

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Suspended American long-distance swimmer Kensey McMahon was offered the opportunity to take part in the Enhanced Games after it was announced on Tuesday that her four-year ban from competition would expire.

The Enhanced Games, a controversial multi-sport event in which athletes are not subjected to drug testing, sent an email on Wednesday morning inviting McMahon to participate.

McMahon, 24, was banned for four years by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) after testing positive for the banned substance vadadustat last year. McMahon’s positive test came on July 1 during the 2023 U.S. Championships and the same day she finished 3rd in the women’s 1500m freestyle with a personal best time.

Vadadustat is an unspecified substance in the category of peptide hormones, growth factors, related substances and mimetics and is banned under the doping control rules of USADA, the U.S. Olympic Committee and World Aquatics. It was not approved for medical use in the United States until March 2024, eight months after McMahon’s positive test.

The concentration of vadadustat found in McMahon’s sample was extremely low, making it “possible, if not likely, that her positive test result was due to some form of environmental contamination,” according to the USADA report.

The Enhanced Games were first released to the public last summer and are financially supported by the billionaire Peter Thiel and is scheduled to take place in 2025.

Australian freestyler retires James Magnussenthree-time world champion and three-time Olympic medalist, has largely been the public figurehead of the Enhanced Games. In February, he said he would “go all out” at the event to try and break the world record in the men’s 50-meter freestyle.

The Enhanced Games have come under fire for promoting the use of performance-enhancing drugs, with many national organizations and sports federations calling them irresponsible and ridiculous. The CEO of USADA Travis Tygart said: “A dangerous clown show, not a real sport.”

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