GOING AGAINST THE GRAIN
Jamaican Wallace calls being involved in Enhanced Games a proud moment
Published:Wednesday | January 14, 2026 | 12:10 AMGregory Bryce/Staff Reporter
Shockoria Wallace, retired 100 metres sprinter, is the first Jamaican to sign up for the controversial Enhanced Games, confirming her participation on Monday ahead of the competition set for May 24 this year.
The Enhanced Games is a new competition, spanning three sporting disciplines where athletes are allowed to take banned performance-enhancing drugs under medical supervision.
The competition will feature events in track and field, swimming and weightlifting.
The Enhanced Games has been been widely criticised since its inception, with many arguing it will damage the integrity of sports, and warning against the health risks it could pose.
One such detractor is Dr Warren Blake, chairman of the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association’s (JAAA) Medical Commission.
In October last year, Blake said several of the performance-enhancing drugs could have long-term effects on the body, and chastised any support of the Enhanced Games.
“In the short term, they can ensure its safety. If you dope up on adrenaline, your heart rate will go up, your blood pressure will go up, and, if you take too much, you can literally drop,” he warned.
“I suppose, if they monitor the level, they can ensure that more dramatic things happen on the field, but some of the performance-enhancing drugs don’t have their effects right away,” he continued.
“They have long-term, bad side effects for the athletes, and they will destroy the athlete’s health over time, and I think that it is wrong to be encouraging athletes to take performance-enhancing drugs.”
Wallace, who last competed in 2025, holds a personal best of 11.09 seconds and 23.67 in the women’s 100m and 200m, respectively.
She confirmed her participation and said she is “proud” to be a part of the Enhanced Games which she said can bring more opportunities for athletes.
“I am officially announcing that I am now a member of the Enhanced Games team,” Wallace said in a video posted on her Instagram page.
“I am proud and I am excited to go on this journey with Enhanced Games,” she continued.
“They do provide a lot for athletes. They do provide a lot of opportunities for athletes, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to be working with them moving forward.”
Wallace is among the growing number of athletes who have signed on to the Enhanced Games, which includes Olympic silver medallist Marvin Bracy-Williams and former world champion, Fred Kerley.
Both athletes, at the time of joining the Enhanced Games, were suspended from track and field, with Kerley serving a provisional suspension for a ‘whereabouts failure’ while Bracy was serving a 45-month suspension for testing positive for banned substances as well as a ‘whereabouts failure’.
Despite the allowance to compete while using banned substances, Wallace said she is under no pressure to take performance-enhancing drugs in order to compete in the Enhanced Games.
She said the competition will allow for athletes, both clean and doped, to compete in the same field.
“I would like to say that there is literally no pressure for athletes at Enhanced Games to take enhancements.
“They gave us the choice to compete naturally or to compete enhanced while under medical supervision.”
However, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has strongly warned athletes against competing at the Enhanced Games and said they risk being found in violation of its anti-doping rules and earning the reputation of a doped athlete.
“WADA warns athletes and support personnel who wish to participate in sport regulated by the World Anti-Doping Code (Code), that, if they were to take part in the Enhanced Games, they would risk committing anti-doping rule violations under the Code,” the agency said last year in May.
“They would also put their reputations on the line, as they would risk forever being associated with doping. To be clear, WADA will encourage anti-doping organisations to test involved athletes before, during and after this event, in order to protect the integrity of legitimate sport.”
The statement continued, “WADA will also work closely with its Athlete Council to ensure that athletes are fully informed of the risks.”
The Enhanced Games is set to be held in Las Vegas for its inaugural staging.