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Competitive sports are already grappling with complex “doping” problems. If generic mitochondrial transplantation (see AV 233 in the Nov/Dec 2024 Analog) soon becomes a standard treatment widely used in hospital emergency rooms, its spillover effects in competitive sports may be far-reaching and profound. It will probably impact everything from levels of athletic performance to anti-doping regulations and detection methods. It may perturb the essential definition of just what “natural” athletic ability is. Here’s my vision of what is to come. Dr. James McCully is a pioneering mitochondrial researcher at Boston Children’s Hospital, who participated in the first successful human mitochondrial