PayPal co-founder exposes ‘Doping Olympics’ scheme
(MENAFN) In a surprising turn of events, PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel has emerged as one of the primary backers of the Enhanced Games, a privately-funded sporting contest that has garnered attention for its unconventional approach, encouraging doping and embracing transhumanist-inspired upgrades. Thiel, known for his ventures in technology and finance, is joined by venture capitalist Christian Angermayer and former Coinbase CTO Balaji Srinivasan in the Games' "investors' circle," as revealed by an official post on the Games' twitter account on Tuesday.
The Enhanced Games, founded by Australian venture capitalist Aron D'Souza, has secured substantial funding in a recent round led by Thiel, Angermayer, and Srinivasan. While the absolute total raised remains undisclosed, D'Souza mentioned that it reached the "high single-digit millions," providing sufficient capital for the inaugural edition of the Games.
Thiel is set to unveil more details about his investment in April and plans to promote the Games during the 'real' Olympics in Paris in July. Notably, Thiel is known for his personal involvement in performance enhancement, openly admitting to using human growth hormone and metformin for muscle-building and anti-aging purposes. Furthermore, he has expressed a desire to undergo cryogenic freezing before death.
The Games, aiming to disrupt the traditional Olympic model, are currently in talks with several cities to host the event. D'Souza envisions the first competition taking place by the middle of the next year, utilizing existing sporting facilities. This strategy seeks to avoid the extensive taxpayer-funded construction projects that often accompany cities vying to host the Olympics.
Apart from the controversial endorsement of doping, the Enhanced Games encourages athletes to embrace "performance technology," such as the polyurethane swimming "super suits" that were banned by FINA in 2010 after shattering 55 world records in a single year. The Games are poised to challenge conventional norms in the world of sports, prompting discussions about ethics, competition integrity, and the potential impact on the future landscape of athletic competitions.
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