Charlie Wood
Las Vegas has been confirmed as the host city for the inaugural Enhanced Games, scheduled to take place from 21-24 May 2026.
The multi-sport competition will allow all athletes to use performance-enhancing drugs without the retribution faced in the Olympic Games.
Founder Aron D’Souza’s aim is clear: athletes will be allowed to take drugs in a medically supervised environment in the hope of breaking ‘world records.’
The Australian businessman argues that sport should evolve with pharmaceutical and technological advancement, envisioning a future where such enhancements are normalised within the sporting arena.
“The Enhanced Games is renovating the Olympic model for the 21st century,” he said.
“In the era of accelerating technological and scientific change, the world needs a sporting event that embraces the future – particularly advances in medical sciences.”
His plans were backed by billionaire entrepreneur Peter Thiel and the son of the son of the U.S. president, Donald Trump Jr.
The organisers intend for the Games to become an annual event, featuring disciplines such as swimming, sprinting, and weightlifting to push the boundaries of human capabilities.
For athletes competing a generous financial reward will be on offer. The prize money will reach up to $500,000 per event, with a lucrative $1 million bonus for breaking either the 100m sprint or 50m freestyle world record.
“New level of performance”
Greek Olympian Kristian Gkolomeev became the first recipient of the extensive prize money after reportedly beating the long-standing Cesar Cielo 50m freestyle world record.
In his ‘world record’ attempt, for a promotional documentary, the 31-year-old swam 20.89 seconds, 0.02 seconds faster than the world record set in 2009.
However, Gkolomeev, who finished fifth in both Tokyo and Paris Olympics, was wearing a full-length ‘supersuit’ – banned from competition a few weeks after Cielo’s record.
Two months later, the Greek swam 21.03 in regulation ‘jammer’ trunks, 0.01 seconds faster than any attempt since the ban.
After the feat, the European Championship silver medallist said: “The Enhanced Games gave me the resources and the team to unlock a new level of performance, and now the whole world can see what’s possible.”
The substances used have not been revealed, with the Enhanced Games prioritising personal confidentially, but reaffirmed that all enhancements were prescribed “medically and legally.”
Although the Enhanced Games claim the two times are legitimate due to the rigorous Olympic-standard timing equipment, and the events being staged at the same venue as the past four US Open events, World Aquatics is not willing to recognise either effort.
An official statement said: “The Enhanced Games are not a sporting competition built on universal values like honesty, fairness and equity: they are a circus built on shortcuts.”
“The enduring power of athletes to serve as role models for children and adults alike relies on their talent, hard work, respect and friendship. That’s what we see in our champions and in our competitions, and that’s what we’ll continue to showcase.”
“Dangerous clown show”
The Enhanced Games has sparked strong opposition across the sporting world.
The World Anti-Doping Agency said in a statement: “As we have seen through history, performance-enhancing drugs have taken a terrible physical and mental toll on many athletes. Some have died.”
“Clearly this event would jeopardise [athletes’ health] by promoting the abuse of powerful substances and methods that should only be prescribed, if at all, for specific therapeutic needs.”
The CEO of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, Travis Tygart, went a step further with his blunt approach, saying: “It’s a dangerous clown show, not a real sport.”
Controversy has also swelled due to the major financial donation from 1789 Capital, a firm led by Donald Trump Jr. A striking video that announced the funding strongly suggests the president’s endorsement.
While the countdown to 2026 is on, the sporting world will have to come to terms with the encroachment into their prestigious values and ethos.
Charlie Wood
Featured image courtesy of Greg Rosenke via Unsplash. Image use license found here (Unsplash). No changes were made to this image.
In article image 1 courtesy of @aronpingdsouza via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 2 courtesy of @kristian_gkolomeev via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.
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