What happens when athletes can use any performance-enhancing drug they like, and when robots start competing alongside them?
In this episode, we look back at the fall of cyclist Lance Armstrong, and discuss the Enhanced Games in Las Vegas and the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing.
Is science-assisted sport real progress or the end of fair play, and which jobs might robots take next?
Voice message from Marta from Poland
Who is Lance Armstrong?
Lance Armstrong is a former American professional cyclist who became world-famous after surviving testicular cancer and going on to win the Tour de France seven consecutive times from 1999 to 2005. However, his legacy collapsed when it was revealed that he had used performance-enhancing drugs and participated in one of cycling’s biggest doping scandals. In 2012, he was stripped of all seven Tour de France titles and banned from professional cycling for life.
He had his birthday last month. He’s 55 (2026).
What are the Enhanced Games?
The Enhanced Games are a controversial, Olympics-style sporting competition where athletes are allowed to use certain performance-enhancing drugs that are banned in traditional sports. The idea is to see how far human athletic performance can be pushed with the help of science and medicine.
The inaugural Games in Las Vegas on 24 May 2026 featured events including swimming, track and field and weightlifting.
Discussion
Many people already feel uneasy about doping in the Olympics. Does it make a difference if everyone competes openly and knows the rules in advance? Does it make the competition fair?
If athletes could use science and technology to become faster, stronger, and more powerful than ever before, would this represent human progress or go against the spirit of sport?
Imagine that the Enhanced Games become more popular than the Olympic Games. How might this change our understanding of achievement, competition, and the limits of the human body? Would you personally watch them?
The World Humanoid Robot Games (Real-World Athletics)
The World Humanoid Robot Games (WHRG) is an annual global competition where advanced bipedal and humanoid robots compete in athletic and physical events.
The inaugural World Humanoid Robot Games took place from August 15 to August 17, 2025, in Beijing, China.
Key Events: Autonomous sprints (100m, 400m relay), 1,500m races, standing high jump, obstacle courses, soccer, gymnastics, tai chi, and kickboxing.
Highlights: “Robotic athletes” have generated widespread attention by breaking world benchmark records in events like the 100m sprint and high jump, highlighting advances in autonomous movement and balance.
Discussion
If humanoid robots become faster, stronger, and more skilful than humans, will human sports still be exciting to watch? Conversely, is watching a machine do something, albeit competitive sports, really particularly engaging for the spectators?
If robots can run, jump, dance, play sports, and perform complex physical tasks, which jobs do you think they might replace first? Which jobs will probably always need human involvement?
Would you feel comfortable having a humanoid robot as a colleague, a personal assistant, or even a companion? Would you (attempt to) make love to one? (God help you if there’s a short circuit!)
…and now it’s your turn to practise your English. What are your thoughts on the robot games, the enhanced games and Lance Armstrong?
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In next week’s episode: Where does “even” go? How to use the word “even” in English
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The music in this podcast is by Pitx. The track is called ‘See You Later’