Olympic gold medalist says why he would 'absolutely' not participate in PED-filled Enhanced Games
Richard Thompson understands that the Enhanced Games, dubbed the "Olympics on steroids," could be fair competition, but he says he'd never take part of it.
The Enhanced Games have drawn lots of criticism, as it will be an Olympic-styled event that openly allows performance-enhancing drugs.
The event's founder, Dr. Aron D'Souza, has maintained that the competition will be fair and balanced, as no one will have anything to hide, but more importantly, his main goal is to prove that steroids and other PEDs can be taken safely.
The games, unlike the Olympics, will be giving out cash prizes, most notably offering a $1 million prize to Australian swimmer James Magnussen if he can beat the world record in the 50-meter freestyle. (It would not be officially recognized.)
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But one Olympic gold medalist says his response would be "Absolutely no" if he were given the cash prize offer.
Richard Thompson, of Trinidad and Tobago, finished second in the 100 meters in the 2008 Olympics to Usain Bolt. He was later awarded a gold medal in the 4x100-meter relay due to a member of the Jamaican team, originally the winners, testing positive for PEDs. (Jamaica reclaimed gold in 2012, with Thompson's squad finishing in second.)
Thompson admits that he understands the argument that the event is fair. Considering his ordeal, who could blame him for that opinion, as he says he was robbed of a true euphoric feeling. But there's more to life than money and, in his mind, not competing the right way.
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Now a coach and instructor at the IMG Academy, he says he wants to teach his athletes how to operate with "integrity."
"I think it’s extremely important to understand that there is so much more to life than money and fame and attention. Who do we want to be seen as, who do we want people to remember us as, what do we want our legacy to be? One of the reasons why I was hired here at IMG is because they saw that I was a high-character individual . . . " Thompson said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital.
"I retired as the 10th-fastest runner at the time, and that list of No. 1 to 10, there were two people to have never tested positive for any performance-enhancing drug or be implicated in any drug scandal . . . the two people on that list were Usain Bolt and myself. They’ll never have to doubt the person that represents their brand and their values and principles that they want to be operating by.
"I think the way that we see life sometimes is we look through this lens of ‘I want money, fame, followers.’ Things that make us feel important. But as you mature in life, yes, we need money to do things, no question about that. But the things that are really important is your life, your health, and your family, and to me, that’s worth more than $1 million."
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