Future Olympic athletes could be sorted into classes by their genetic makeup or even allowed to enhance their genomes through genetic engineering. This sci-fi scenario may one day become a reality thanks to the rapid-fire advances in the field of genomic technology and the ever-expanding knowledge of gene variants that contribute to success and dominance in sports, according to Juan Enriquez and Steve Gullans, two venture capitalists writing in last week's issue of Nature.
"Are the games in fact a showcase for hardworking 'mutants'?" they ask. "And if Olympic rule-makers admit that the genetic landscape is uneven, should they then test every athlete and hold separate competitions for the genetically ungifted?"
Enriquez and Gullans add that it will also be possible in the future to "allow athletes who did not win the genetic lottery to 'upgrade' through gene therapy—a practice that is now banned as 'gene doping.'"
Currently, there are ...
