Genetically modified athletes: Forget drugs.

There are even suggestions some Chinese athletes'

genes are altered to make them stronger
Summary:
Controversy at the London Olympics, 16 year old Chinese swimmer, Ye Shiwen, came
out of nowhere to win the Gold Medal in a World Record Breaking 400m swim performance.
John Leonard, the highly respected American director of the World Swimming Coaches
Association, described her performance as unbelievable and said that authorities should check
to see if there is something unusual going on in terms of genetic manipulation Both the
International Olympic Committee and the World Anti-Doping Agency have implemented
regulations against gene doping
According to John Naish from the dailymail, it is possible for athletes to use a virus to
introduce a gene that can increase a persons blood-cell count or hormone levels. The World
Anti-Doping Agency are trying to create a test to detect this kind of manipulation. However, they
are having difficulties in detecting blood transfusion athletes.
Professor Doninic Wells, a gene therapy researcher thinks we still have a long ways to go
in genetically modifying human beings.
Thoughts
It was pretty interesting reading how John Naish described enhance human beings as
Frankenstein athletes, and unbeatable master race that snatch medal after medal from honest
competitors. I think it is highly unlikely that Ye Shiwen is gene doping and if she is, why there
isnt more people like her if China has the technology. There is also a case where athletes have a
genetic mutation and could give them advantages from other athletes. For example, Eero Antero
Mntyranta had a genetic mutation that caused an increase of red blood cell mass and
hemoglobin. He can hold up to 50% more oxygen than a normal human.
Questions:
1) When genetic enhancements become a thing, do you think genetically enhanced humans will
be able to play competitive sport?
2) If genetically enhanced humans are allowed in competitive sport, do you think people will be
pressured to enhance themselves or their offspring because they want to be able to compete with
them.
3) Can there be an alternative? Should we separate the unenhanced from the enhanced? Like
make enhanced humans play with other enhanced humans and only them.