The Enhanced Games, a highly controversial sports event that permits athletes to use performance-enhancing drugs banned in official competitions, is set to debut in Las Vegas this Sunday, May 24.
The event will take place at a specially built 2,500-seater arena at Resorts World in Las Vegas, offering massive cash prizes for participation and world record-breaking performances.
A total of 42 athletes are scheduled to compete across various disciplines, including swimming, track and field sprint, weightlifting, and a strongman deadlift event.
The athletic competitions will be followed by a post-event musical performance from the Killers.
High-Profile Athletes Join the Roster
More than a dozen Olympic swimmers have signed up for the event, including Britain’s Ben Proud, who secured a silver medal in the 50m freestyle at the Paris Games.
Ukraine’s Andriy Govorov, the current world record holder for the 50m butterfly, and James Magnussen, the former Australian 100m freestyle world champion, are also competing.
In track and field, the most prominent competitor is the 2022 world 100m champion Fred Kerley of the United States, who holds a personal best of 9.76 seconds.
Two other British athletes are confirmed: 100m sprinter Reece Prescod, with a personal best of 9.93 seconds, and swimmer Emily Barclay.
Permitted Substances and Medical Monitoring
Organizers state that the event only permits substances approved by America’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA), though these are entirely outlawed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada).
Allowed substances include testosterone, anabolics like methenolone and nandrolone, metabolic modulators such as meldonium, stimulants including Adderall, and hormones like human growth hormone and EPO.
According to event organizers, 37 of the 42 athletes participated in an International Review Board (IRB) trial in Abu Dhabi from January to May to monitor their health and substance usage.
American swimmer Hunter Armstrong and Barbadian swimmer Tristan Evelyn are participating without enhancing, while American gold medalist Cody Miller and weightlifters Wes Kitts and Dylan Cooper are enhancing with private approved doctors outside the trial.
Financial Incentives and Projected Records
Athletes receive yearly salaries that are often three to five times higher than the funding provided by their national federations, alongside an appearance fee.
The event features a $500,000 prize pool per event, with winners taking home $250,000, plus an additional $250,000 for breaking a world record.
Winners of the 50m freestyle and 100m sprint will receive a $1 million bonus for breaking a world record, although none of these milestones will be officially recognized by global sports authorities.
Swimming records are highly likely to fall due to the combined use of performance-enhancing substances and polyurethane speed suits, which are also banned in traditional competitions.
The current all-time raw deadlift world record of 510kg, established by Icelandic strongman Hafthór "Thor" Björnsson, is also anticipated to be surpassed during the competition.
Backlash From Sports Governing Bodies
The global sporting community has responded with fierce criticism, and Wada has entirely dismissed the safety claims made by the organizers.
"This event seeks to promote the use of powerful substances and methods by athletes," Wada stated, warning that athletes have suffered serious long-term side effects and even death from these substances.
Sebastian Coe, the president of World Athletics, expressed strong disdain for the competition and warned of severe consequences for participants.
"It’s bollocks isn’t it?" Coe said.
"I can’t really get excited about it.
There’s only one message, and that is if anybody is moronic enough to officially take part in it, and they are in the traditional part of our sport, they’ll get banned for a long time.
But I really don’t get sleepless nights about it."
Travis Tygart, CEO of the US Anti-Doping Agency, was equally critical of the event.
"This is a dangerous clown show, not real sport," Tygart said.
Organizers frame the event as a global movement for scientific insight and innovation, but they also intend to launch and sell a commercial range of performance-enhancing drugs, supplements, testosterone, and peptides.
