Sports
A review of the 2026 Enhanced Games
The controversial Enhanced Games was founded by Aron D’Souza. (Credit: Enhanced Games) The Enhanced Games is the controversial multi-sport competition founded by Aron D’Souza, which permits athletes to compete freely whilst using performance-enhancing substances. Unlike at other major professional events, competing athletes are not subject to drug tests, with its creation born on the idea […]


The Enhanced Games is the controversial multi-sport competition founded by Aron D’Souza, which permits athletes to compete freely whilst using performance-enhancing substances.
Unlike at other major professional events, competing athletes are not subject to drug tests, with its creation born on the idea of pushing human capabilities and embracing scientific advancements. Caveats to the enhancements mean athletes can still only take medically prescribable and legally approved substances under clinical supervision.
The 2026 Enhanced Games program is set to feature athletics (100m sprint and 100/100m hurdles), swimming (50m and 100m freestyle and 50m and 100m butterfly), and weightlifting (snatch and clean & jerk).
World Aquatics has come out in support of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in condemning the Enhanced Games, citing it as dangerous and irresponsible. World Athletics president Sebastian Coe has also made his position clear, previously claiming that Enhanced Games participants would face lengthy bans.
Facing bans in the traditional sports calendar is likely to be a huge deterrent for many leading athletes with an ambition to compete for further world and Olympic titles.
To date, the Enhanced Games has confirmed the participation of four athletes, all involved in swimming – Josif Miladinov, Kristian Gkolomeev, Andrii Govorov, and James Magnussen – three of which are over the age of 31.
On the same day that the Enhanced Games was announced, Greek swimmer, Gkolomeev, broke the 50m freestyle world record by 0.02 seconds on a performance-enhancing program, immediately showcasing the reality of the results expected from the Enhanced Games.
For most athletes getting involved in the event, it is about the financial reward, with financial gains largely limited for most athletes in these sports beyond the biggest stars. These limited opportunities are highlighted by the claim that 59% of US Olympians make less than $25,000 in an Olympic year.
The Enhanced Games offers lucrative money, with athletes set to receive an appearance fee and rank-based prize money. Athletes who break official world records are also in line to claim $250,000, a figure extended to $1 million for records in the 50m freestyle (swimming) and 100m sprint (athletics) events.
Performance enhancement use in sport is nothing new, athletes in every sport around the world are found guilty of the offence every year. Before the Paris 2024 Olympics, almost 50 cases of doping were found, with five positive tests also returned during the games.
This desire to win at all costs is fueled by a desperation to succeed and the pursuit of glory. Such a narrow focus channels this ambition above all else, not least the potential health ramifications. The Enhanced Games has been largely criticized by the world of sport and medicine for promoting and rewarding ‘cheats’.
But for athletes susceptible to using performance enhancements anyway, it offers them a chance to compete in an open forum. They do not have to fear getting caught or losing prize money. Affiliated athletes are more than likely to lose any held personal sponsorship deals, with most brands opposed to the negative connotations of drug use.
In appealing to athletes outside of the elite/champion level, held personal sponsorship deals are limited. Losing this type of revenue does not outweigh the potential fortunes on offer at the Enhanced Games.
The Enhanced Games can be seen as not only promoting but rewarding drug use, something traditional sport fights hard against. It goes against the ethical values bestowed at events such as the Olympics, offering a platform for fair and honest competition.
Athlete involvement invalidates the belief among audiences that perseverance and personal sacrifice pays off. The biggest danger of the Enhanced Games is its glorification of drugs, particularly among younger and more impressionable audiences. Associated athletes of the games are championing this, which is something that needs to be considered before signing up.
The Enhanced Games currently has no official sponsors. Brands want to get involved in sponsorship for fan access and to piggyback on the positive connections of a sports property. Although global curiosity in the Enhanced Games is expected, the size and demographics of its fans are unknown.
Official broadcasters of the event around the world are also unknown, and most likely will not be covered by mainstream networks, which further limits its audience reach. Furthermore, the event does not champion positive associations that brands want to attach themselves to.
Sponsorship at events such as the Olympics commands a high price tag because of its global reach and positive connections to elite, popular performance. The prospective sponsorship market for the Enhanced Games is niche and much smaller. With a smaller pool of prospective brands to target, sponsorship opportunities for the Enhanced Games are extremely limited and far from a certainty.
Without large sponsorship and media revenue being generated or taxpayer funding (as many sports events receive), the Enhanced Games will rely on its private funding to become a success, unable to rely on taxpayer revenue that so many other sporting events receive.
Sports
Eight Members of Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Recognized by ACC
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — Eight members of the Boston College men’s outdoor track & field team were honored by the Atlantic Coast Conference as part of its 2025 All-ACC Academic team, it was announced today. Academic requirements for selection to the All-ACC Academic Team are a 3.0-grade point average for the previous semester and a […]

Academic requirements for selection to the All-ACC Academic Team are a 3.0-grade point average for the previous semester and a 3.0 cumulative average during one’s academic career. In addition, student-athletes must compete in at least 50 percent of their team’s contests.
2025 Men’s All-ACC Academic Track and Field Team
Sean Coll, So., Economics
Peter Fox, Sr., Chemistry
Colin Kravitz, So., Applied Psychology and Human Development
Max McQuide, Sr., Management
Patrick Mulryan, So., Management/Philosophy
Theodor Schucht, Fr., Economics
Colin Shaver, Jr., Communication
Edward Sullivan, Jr., Management
Sports
Mike Bibby’s daughter Nylah, Class of 2027 standout, commits to Arizona volleyball
Share Tweet Share Share Email Nylah Bibby, daughter of Arizona basketball great Mike Bibby, is a top performer of Arizona Storm Elite volleyball club as an outside hitter (Bibby photo) The distinguished Bibby name will carry on at McKale Center. After graduating from Scottsdale Saguaro […]


The distinguished Bibby name will carry on at McKale Center.
After graduating from Scottsdale Saguaro High School in 2027 — 30 years after her father Mike led Arizona to the NCAA men’s basketball championship — Nylah Bibby is slated to represent Arizona at McKale Center as a member of Charita Stubbs’ volleyball program.
Nylah, a 5-foot-10 outside hitter, was offered a scholarship by Stubbs on Thursday night and committed shortly thereafter, her father confirmed with AllSportsTucson.com’s Steve Rivera (host of the “Eye on the Ball” radio show on Fox Sports 1450-AM). Mike, embarking on his first season as Sacramento State’s head coach, was a guest of Rivera’s show on Tuesday.
Nylah provided a commitment via Instagram Friday:
As a freshman at Desert Mountain in 2023, Nylah finished fourth in the 5A Northeast Valley in kills with 232 and was third in kills per set, averaging 2.8 a set.
After transferring to Saguaro last season, she ranked second in the 4A Desert Sky with 255 kills. Her 5 kills per set led the 4A conference statewide.
Nylah, who wears No. 10 like Mike did at Arizona and during his NBA career, is Mike’s youngest daughter following Mia and Janae. His son Michael is the associate head coach with him at Sacramento State. Janae played volleyball at Fresno Pacific University after her high school career at Phoenix Shadow Mountain, her dad’s alma mater.

Nylah, a member of the Arizona Storm Elite volleyball club, has participated in Stubbs’ elite camps at McKale Center over the last few years.
She recently completed her tournament schedule with the Arizona Storm 16U Thunder team that is coached by former Arizona State player and assistant coach Terri Spann.
Verbal commitments are not binding.
Stubbs is unable to comment on recruits until they have signed a financial aid and scholarship agreement in their senior year of high school.

Sports
UCSB Women’s Volleyball Set for Tough 2025 Schedule | Sports
The UC Santa Barbara Women’s Volleyball team announced its 2025 schedule on Thursday, July 10. The Gauchos are set to face a fierce slate of opponents, including four teams with NCAA Tournament appearances – and three of those with wins – in 2024. The team is led by Head Coach Matt Jones, entering his third year […]

The UC Santa Barbara Women’s Volleyball team announced its 2025 schedule on Thursday, July 10.
The Gauchos are set to face a fierce slate of opponents, including four teams with NCAA Tournament appearances – and three of those with wins – in 2024. The team is led by Head Coach Matt Jones, entering his third year at the helm of the program.
The Gauchos kick off the season up north with back-to-back matches against San Jose State on August 29 and 30.
The Blue and Gold will stay on the road the following weekend, heading to Los Angeles to play a three-day tournament hosted by USC.
The first matchup on Friday will see the Gauchos face the hosting Trojans followed by matches with Creighton and San Diego scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
The Bluejays are coming off a 2024 NCAA Tournament run where they fell to the eventual National Champion, Penn State, in the Regional Final.
The Gauchos’ home opener comes against Kansas State in The Thunderdome on September 11 as part of a tournament co-hosted with Cal Poly. The Gauchos will look to continue their success from last year when they swept the Wildcats at the K-State Invitational.
The following day, Santa Barbara will face Vanderbilt, who is entering its first season since the program was discontinued in 1980. Northern Colorado will be the last match to cap off the weekend in The Thunderdome on Saturday.
Pepperdine will visit shortly thereafter with a match scheduled in Santa Barbara for Tuesday, September 16 in The Thunderdome.
Non-conference play wraps up with a two-day adventure to Dayton for two matches on September 19 against Illinois State and the hosting Flyers, who achieved an NCAA Regional Tournament appearance last season. The next day sees one match against Wright State before heading back to Santa Barbara.
The Gauchos’ second homestand will consist of their first Big West matchups. Cal State Bakersfield and CSUN come to The Thunderdome on September 26 and 27, respectively.
Headed into October, the Blue and Gold are back on the road to continue conference play. October 3 will have the Gauchos going up against Long Beach State followed by a quick jump down to La Jolla to face UC San Diego on October 4.
The first installment of the Blue-Green rivalry takes place the Tuesday after with a visit up north to Cal Poly on October 7. The trip continues across the Pacific the following weekend as the Gauchos take on the reigning Big West Champions, Hawai’i, on their home court on October 12.
Cal State Fullerton comes to town on October 17 for the third weekend of Santa Barbara Volleyball at home. The Gauchos face UC Irvine in The Thunderdome the following day as well.
A Thursday trip up north has the Gauchos facing UC Davis on October 23. The Blue and Gold return home on Saturday, October 18 to go up against the Highlanders of UC Riverside.
The Gauchos begin their rematches with Big West opponents heading into November with trips to Northridge and Bakersfield. Santa Barbara will face the Matadors on October 31 and the Roadrunners on November 1.
November continues with a four-match homestand. The Gauchos will first see action against UC San Diego on November 7. They host Long Beach State in The Thunderdome the following day, November 8.
The Mustangs and the Gauchos face off on Thursday, November 13 to wrap up the Blue-Green rivalry at home. Fans can catch Santa Barbara’s final regular-season home match on Friday, November 14 as the Gauchos take on Hawai’i in The Thunderdome.
The regular season wraps up with road matches against UC Irvine on November 21 followed by Cal State Fullerton on November 22.
The Blue and Gold will look for a top-six finish in the regular-season conference standings to qualify for the Big West Tournament. The tournament is scheduled for November 26-29 in Long Beach with the winner earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
UC Santa Barbara Athletics is excited to announce the Men’s Water Polo and Men’s and Women’s Cross Country schedules later this month.
Season tickets for fall sports will go on sale the week of July 14. Fans can always find the most recent Gaucho news at ucsbgauchos.com.
Sports
LockerRoom: Sailing greats steer water polo team in LA Games effort
And Barbara Kendall, boardsailing’s Olympic triple medallist, is the performance coach of the White Caps – the new moniker for the New Zealand women’s water polo team. Right now, Powrie is in Singapore with the side, who took on Italy in their opening game of the world championships overnight. Kendall, who’s been in Denmark watching […]

Sports
Why Irena Gillarová, former Virginia Tech javelin thrower, would choose a U.S. education over an Olympic medal
Story Links For javelin thrower Irena Gillarová, a low point in her career became a moment that altered the course of her life. The Czech athlete had been training full time, deciding not to pursue higher education to focus on athletics. Yet at the European Athletics Championships, she had not even made […]

For javelin thrower Irena Gillarová, a low point in her career became a moment that altered the course of her life.
The Czech athlete had been training full time, deciding not to pursue higher education to focus on athletics. Yet at the European Athletics Championships, she had not even made it to the final round of competition. I didn’t make it to the finals and I have nothing, so what do I do now? She thought to herself.
As she walked out of the meet, Gillarová ran into Virginia Tech’s track and field coach, who asked her if she wanted to come to the United States to compete for his team.
The answer was an easy yes for Gillarová, fueled by a dream to become an NCAA student-athlete since she was a child.
“I always admired international student-athletes from my country who would decide to go study in the U.S. I always looked up to them,” she said.
At Virginia Tech, the international student-athlete set a school record in her first meet. In her second meet, she broke a 17-year-old Atlantic Coast Conference record.
Yet parts of the student-athlete experience surprised Gillarová. Her coaches would ask her about her grades, checking if she needed tutors and making sure she knew about the academic resources at her disposal.
“In Czech, we don’t have a system which supports education and sports. It’s a huge difference that decides the rest of your life,” she said. “You have all the resources you need. How the whole system cooperates together is amazing.”
On the field, Gillarová broke school and national records throughout her four years in the U.S. Most notably, she won Virginia Tech’s first NCAA championship in javelin, and she repeated that accomplishment in the final meet of her senior year. She is one of only two Virginia Tech female student-athletes to win at least two national titles. She also graduated with degrees in international relations and religion and culture.
After graduation, Gillarová returned to the Czech Republic to pursue an Olympic career, an experience made possible by her time as an NCAA student-athlete.
“It made me a professional athlete,” she said. “The resources you have as an athlete at U.S. universities showed me this is how it’s supposed to look like, and what you need to have to be professional.”
Even with competing on the Olympic stage — she finished 19th at the 2020 Olympic Games — Gillarová’s most valued accomplishments are her NCAA national championships.
“To me, they are the most important ones because it’s the moment where your team relies on you, the school supports you,” she said.
After her athletics career, Gillarová’s gratitude for her U.S. opportunities drove her to create pathways for others to achieve similar experiences. She started an organization, usFutures, to help international athletes become NCAA student-athletes.
“I always tell them, if somebody would ask me if I would get a medal from the Olympics or if I would get education at U.S. universities, I would 100% say I would go with the education and these four years at the U.S. university,” she said. “I’m just trying to pass that experience to others.”
Gillarová has also started an endowment fund to raise money and spend time with children in foster care to encourage them to play sports.
“When other structures let you down, (athletics) gives you friends, it shows you different characters of people which you can be inspired by,” she said.
Additionally, Gillarová began working with the Czech Paralympic Federation on the possibility for international para athletes to become NCAA student-athletes.
Last fall, the NCAA office of inclusion hosted Gillarová at the national office as part of the Global Sports Mentoring Program, which pairs emerging international women leaders with female senior executives at top U.S. sports organizations for an immersive mentorship experience. At the national office, Gillarová focused her time on learning about the possibilities for para athletes to become NCAA student-athletes.
“If it’s in my ability to help them to get to universities, I’m excited to learn anything I can because I’ve always admired the NCAA,” she said.
After an exceptional collegiate and Olympic career, Gillarová helps others become NCAA student-athletes for one reason: She knows it will change the course of their lives — the same way running into Virginia Tech’s coach at the European Athletics Championships changed hers.
“Sport opened the door for my whole career,” she said. “The majority of things I have in life are thanks to sport.
“Before college athletics, I was a kid which had dreams but didn’t have the tools to accomplish them. After college athletics, I became a person who’s given tools to help others accomplish their dreams.”
Sports
Volleyball Adds Freshman Outside Hitter Christa Wilburn To 2025 Roster
Story Links DALLAS (SMU) – Outside hitter Christa Wilburn has been added to the 2025 SMU volleyball roster, head coach Sam Erger announced on Friday. Wilburn initially committed to the Mustangs as part of the 2026 freshman class but has reclassified to join the team this fall. The 6-foot-2 outside hitter was […]

DALLAS (SMU) – Outside hitter Christa Wilburn has been added to the 2025 SMU volleyball roster, head coach Sam Erger announced on Friday. Wilburn initially committed to the Mustangs as part of the 2026 freshman class but has reclassified to join the team this fall.
The 6-foot-2 outside hitter was a standout at Dripping Springs High School and Regents School of Austin. As a freshman and sophomore at Regents, she tallied over 500 kills per season, helping her collect First Team All-State and All-District honors in both seasons.
Wilburn transferred to Dripping Springs to finish out her high school career, and in her senior season finished the year with 344 kills and 346 digs, racking up several accolades including, AVCA Girls High School All-Region, Texas Girls Coaches Association (TGCA) 6A All-State Team, TGCA 6A District Newcomer of the Year, while also being selected to the TGCA 6A All-Star Team as an alternate.
In her club career, Wilburn was a three-time team MVP and a four-time captain for Austin Skyline Juniors.
Wilburn and the Mustangs will begin the 2025 regular season on Aug. 29 in Baton Rouge against LSU.
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