[green.tea]

(Original post by NYU2012)
True, but if they obtained medical records; or someone came out and said that they had such a procedure done; etc. they could be disqualified from competing. Or, if such information came out after the games, their medal would revoked.

While everyone here could we not get a doctor to say he's been injecting stem cells into all the athletes that come ahead of ours then?

[NYU2012]

(Original post by green.tea)
You could let them sit and watch telly while injecting the fibers that you want at a rate that would cause normal growth speed.

The other problem is that I highly doubt lack of "muscle" or "power" is the problem. There's another poster on here (TSR) who used to compete at the national level in men's gymnastics and, before they were forced to drop out of the sport, regularly beat team USA's current gymnasts. He never had a problem with lacking muscle, or needing more "power". At the Olympic level of competition, it probably all comes down to how much you've practiced, your skill, etc.

[green.tea]

(Original post by NYU2012)
The other problem is that I highly doubt lack of "muscle" or "power" is the problem. There's another poster on here (TSR) who used to compete at the national level in men's gymnastics and, before they were forced to drop out of the sport, regularly beat team USA's current gymnasts. He never had a problem with lacking muscle, or needing more "power". At the Olympic level of competition, it probably all comes down to how much you've practiced, your skill, etc.

Obviously in gymnastics thats true but in stuff like running, swimming and rowing i bet it'd work.

[NYU2012]

(Original post by green.tea)
While everyone here could we not get a doctor to say he's been injecting stem cells into all the athletes that come ahead of ours then?

Claims would have to be substantiated. Obviously merely saying "they had XYZ" is not sufficient.

[MightyMe.]

The most hench would always win if it was all down to muscle mass. People of same sports are all of similar statures for a reason. Plus muscles are heavy and you don't want the extra weight. As someone said, our muscles are already ridiculously strong. An electric jolt can be capable of causing the muscles to tense and break bones. Our brain and nervous system limits the strength so we don't punch ourselves in the face every time we took a spoonful of soup etc. Something better would be if we could somehow just programme brains and muscle memory to produce better movements.
Anyway something similar has already been done with cardiovascular sports. Look up blood doping. Athletes would give blood and then continue training, often at high altitude, and then put the blood back in when their body has replenished its existing stores. More blood more energy sort of. Anyway thats illegal.

[NB_ide]

This discussion is getting sidetracked by the correct but irrelevant point that crude muscular strength/power/whatever is never the only factor in doing well in sports.

The topic of where "doping" and enhancements might go in the future is very interesting. Drugs and sport go hand in hand, and always have: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Use_of_..._sport#History

I expect strange and impressive new approaches to surface in the coming decades, and sporting bodies will of course legislate against them but will always lag behind. The idea of muscle transplants is a bit far fetched for now but it's along the right lines - when we can create organs that are better than any even the most genetically superior athletes have naturally, then it will be a huge benefit to install them. Any organ would help. Imagine better lungs, or a better heart, or even better liver and kidneys could permit faster recovery from more, harder training. More likely, perhaps, it will be smaller-scale changes to metabolism and their cellular and blood chemistry. Like we do now by injecting all sorts of things, but perhaps engineered into the athlete somehow. Maybe before birth. No doubt some countries already "breed" potential future athletes by pairing up the right mother and father, and it's no longer the stuff of science fiction to select and tinker with their DNA.

[green.tea]

I find it interesting that the best thing people think to to with stuff like gm is cheat at games.

Bearing in mind that world power is a strategy game it seems obvious that the moment people can engineer genius they will. And that anyone with half a brain would have military scientists focused on doing this and bearing in mind military tech is generally accepted to be a fair way ahead of where we think it is they probably already have. We're probably already obsolete. I wonder what would happen if i injected stem cells into my head.

[green.tea]

Perhaps thats a point people would make through the olympics tho. Rather than the space races "look how big our missiles are" its "look how advanced our human augmentation is".

I bet kate middletons gm. It makes sense when you think about it. The royals wouldnt have much of a chance against gm superhumans so they'd get in on it asap. If shes not i bet the next gen will be. Before anyone starts wittering on about the ethics of this consider that the likes of north korea would do it regardless and if we didnt theyd take over so our ideas about ethics wouldnt have very much effect on owt anyway. We'd have no choice.

[MissLightyear]

It's actually believed that gene doping is the new trend for athletes, and currentlytere's no way of detecting it as of course you dont know the athletes original genetic makeup

[green.tea]

(Original post by MissLightyear)
It's actually believed that gene doping is the new trend for athletes, and currentlytere's no way of detecting it as of course you dont know the athletes original genetic makeup

They'll have to allow it at some point. Otherwise you'll end up with ordinary people running about at 50mph and athletes will be the slowest people in the world.

[AspiringGenius]

Even I this were Possible, I would consider it an abhorrent act of cheating and would not support my country if they chose to utilised such measures to increase likelihood of winning.

[green.tea]

(Original post by AspiringGenius)
Even I this were Possible, I would consider it an abhorrent act of cheating and would not support my country if they chose to utilised such measures to increase likelihood of winning.

We could just do it for a laugh and give all the medals back afterwards.

Last time i checked brazil was nipping at our heels in terms of economy. Our olympics are a shambles we gotta find a way to spoil theirs otherwise theyll get ideas.

[AspiringGenius]

(Original post by green.tea)
We could just do it for a laugh and give all the medals back afterwards.

Last time i checked brazil was nipping at our heels in terms of economy. Our olympics are a shambles we gotta find a way to spoil theirs otherwise theyll get ideas.

Brazil has a larger economy, but that equates to the fact they have at least three times as many people as us, so they are significantly less prosperous. Not to mention our poverty is nothing compared to the slums in Rio and Sao Paulo.

I'm pretty sure the world wouldn't find that funny