TBWA launches ‘The Doping Divide’ film with Aussie Olympic swimmer James Magnussen

TBWA has teamed up with Australian Olympic swimmer James Magnussen to develop a short documentary as part of Backlash’s Life on the Edge series, titled The Doping Divide. The film follows TBWA’s recently launched Future of Sport report – Fair Play, which explores how the notion of fairness is changing.

The role of ‘fair play’ has taken center stage at this year’s Olympic Games, whether it be the biology of the players, the consequences of doping in the lead up to the games, or the level of difficulty of a move that most recently has been questioned and overruled, resulting in the loss of a Bronze medal for American gymnast Jordan Chiles.

‘The Doping Divide’ sets out to disrupt the widely held cultural belief that doping only results in unfair sport —when it might just unlock the first truly level playing field in international sport— giving professional athletes the opportunity to reverse their biological age and stay happier, healthier, and in the game longer.

The team at Backslash sat down with retired Australian swimmer James Magnussen, who so far, is the only athlete to publicly express interest in doping for biohacking billionaire Peter Thiel’s ‘The Enhanced Games’ — a modern yet controversial reinvention of the Olympics where athletes are encouraged to dope openly and honestly in order to “push the limits of humanity.”

Says Renata Yannoulis, strategy director, TBWA\Australia: “The hype of the Olympic Games is coming to an end but all the questions around fair competition will linger for some time. As progressive forces challenge old instincts around what is and isn’t fair, we ask: who has the right to compete, where do we draw the line when it comes to performance-enhancing advantages, and what level of physical and mental risk is acceptable.”

Fair Play, the third chapter of TBWA Backlash’s Future of Sport report can be downloaded here.