The inaugural Enhanced Games commenced in Las Vegas on Sunday, drawing athletes who have openly used performance-enhancing drugs in pursuit of prize money and unofficial world records. Organizers predict that multiple records will be unofficially broken, despite widespread condemnation from athletic governing bodies and anti-doping agencies.
Event Overview
Around 40 sprinters, swimmers, and weightlifters have spent the past four months in Abu Dhabi taking combinations of testosterone, human growth hormone, peptides, and anabolic steroids—substances banned by traditional events like the Olympics. The competition is streaming on YouTube and Roku.
Participants, enticed by prize money of up to $1 million for beating world records, include Olympic medalist swimmers James Magnussen, Cody Miller, and Ben Proud, all of whom have used drugs. Hafthor Bjornsson, known for playing “The Mountain” in Game of Thrones, will attempt to break his own deadlift record. Former 100m sprint champion Fred Kerley is among the few athletes competing without drugs.
Health Concerns and Safety Measures
Health experts have warned that several substances could lead to life-shortening and fatal consequences, including heart, liver, and kidney issues, due to limited knowledge of their long-term effects. However, Enhanced Games officials assert that all medications are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and that top medical experts have been hired. Emergency officials are on standby.
Chief medical officer Guido Pieles described the risk as “clearly there” but “really manageable.” The event has published the percentage of athletes taking each substance, though specific combinations are not disclosed to avoid imitation.
Rules and Innovations
Swimmers are permitted to wear “supersuits,” which led to many world records around the 2008 Beijing Olympics but were later prohibited. Chief sporting officer Rick Adams acknowledged that international organizations will not recognize records set on Sunday, even those achieved by clean athletes like Kerley.
The Enhanced Games are held at a purpose-built $50 million arena in a Las Vegas casino parking lot, which will be dismantled after the final race. Investors, including billionaire Peter Thiel and Donald Trump Jr., are associated with the event, and rock band The Killers will perform a closing set.
Transparency and Future Outlook
CEO Max Martin emphasized that “transparency is core to our DNA,” yet athletes cannot disclose their specific drug combinations. Martin explained that combinations are tailored to each athlete, and the parent company, Enhanced, does not want to “advertise for certain protocols to create imitation potential.”
Despite the controversies, organizers are confident that the event will showcase extraordinary performances, with weightlifters Beatriz Piron and Arley Mendez already surpassing world records in training.
