When Irish Olympic swimmer Shane Ryan announced he would compete in the Enhanced Games, it sent a shockwave through the Irish sporting world. 

These Games — a privately funded, doping-permitted alternative to the Olympics — are the brainchild of Dr Aron D’Souza, an Oxford-educated lawyer and entrepreneur with deep links to Silicon Valley’s libertarian tech elite. He calls it the “next step in human evolution.” Critics call it a dangerous vanity project that could destroy elite sport as we know it. 

Ryan says he’s motivated by money and opportunity. After three Olympics, years of training, and little financial reward, he argues that joining the Enhanced Games offers him “a jumpstart financially” - even if it means risking his reputation and health. 

The Enhanced Games promise huge prize pots of up to $1 million for world records and medical supervision for athletes who choose to use performance-enhancing substances. But scientists warn that “safe doping” is a contradiction in terms, and sporting bodies from Sport Ireland to WADA have condemned the project as both unethical and dangerous. 

In today’s podcast, Ciara Doherty is joined by sports writer Kieran Cunningham to explore the man behind the movement, the money driving it, and what Shane Ryan’s decision tells us about the shifting moral boundaries of sport. 

Is this the beginning of a new sporting revolution — or the moment the idea of “fair play” finally dies? 

Listen and have your say: newstalkdaily@newstalk.com