Suspended U.S. sprinter Fred Kerley becomes first American male track and field athlete to join Enhanced Games

USA sprinter Fred Kerley has become the first American male track and field athlete to join the Enhanced Games.

The Enhanced Games are an Olympic-style startup sports organization offering competition in which athletes are permitted to use performance-enhancing substances and methods without drug testing. Kerley posted to social media on Wednesday, confirming his announcement.

Kerley is a two-time Olympic medal winner in the 100-meter race, having won bronze in Paris last summer and silver in the 2021 summer games in Tokyo. In the track and field world championships, Kerley has won six medals, including gold in the 100 in 2022. He is currently provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit for whereabouts failures.

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A whereabouts failure is recorded against an athlete (in this case, track and field) when they fail to submit their whereabouts (location) or update them as soon as possible after a change of circumstances. A failure can also occur when an athlete is not available for drug testing at the corresponding location (whereabouts) on file and misses their 60-minute time slot.

"This now gives me the opportunity to dedicate all my energy to pushing my limits and becoming the fastest human to ever live," Kerley said of his joining the Enhanced Games.

In May, Kerley was arrested in Florida for battery for an alleged assault against his ex-girlfriend, which he has since denied. This incident came on the heels of Kerley's arrest in January, when he allegedly punched a Miami Beach police officer. Kerley has denied both claims through his attorneys.

The Enhanced Games organization positions itself as pushing the limits of human ability through science to monitor what athletes intake without punishing them for using drugs. On the Enhanced Games website, it also claims that competing athletes will undergo extensive medical profiling prior to competition, allowing its independent medical commission to determine if athletes are safe to compete.