‘Juiced’ athletes have a new home; Enhanced Games to kick off in 2026
A controversial new Olympic-style sports event is ready to challenge the notion of “clean competition.” The first-ever Enhanced Games will kick off in Las Vegas in May 2026.
In the Enhanced Games, organizers encourage the use of performance-enhancing drugs, along with pushing the limits of science and technology, to get the best out of their athletes, with health risks being put aside.
It’s been dubbed the “Steroid Olympics,” but founder Aron D’Souza is thinking much bigger. He calls it the first step in “superhumanity.” They are hoping not only to normalize enhancement in competition but eventually, in everyday life.
“Make no mistake, in 50 years, we will look back and realize that biology was never the ceiling,” D’Souza said. “It was only the starting line. We’ll be faster. We’ll be stronger. We’ll be younger for longer and we’ll wonder why it took so long for society to catch up with the science.”
D’Souza is backed by a group of investors led by billionaire PayPal founder Peter Thiel, cryptocurrency investor Christian Angermayer and an investment firm run by Donald Trump Jr., among others.
The company said it plans to become an alternative to the Olympic Games and make money by selling performance-enhancing products directly to consumers. They are also filming a documentary produced by director Ridley Scott, which could air on a major streaming service in the future, according to Variety.
Performance-enhancing drugs banned in other competitions
Performance-enhancing drugs like testosterone, human growth hormone and other steroids are legal with a prescription, but they are banned in many forms in nearly every sporting competition around the world, both amateur and professional. D’Souza said those anti-doping policies are outdated and hypocritical.
“The Enhanced Games is renovating the Olympic model for the 21st century,” D’Souza said. “In the era of accelerating technological and scientific change, the world needs a sporting event that embraces the future, particularly advances in medical science.”
For athletes like former Olympic swimmers Kristian Gkolomeev and James Magnussen, who have already signed on with Enhanced Games, it’s a chance at millions in prize money and a way to reach new heights never before possible.
After training with performance-enhancing drugs for months, Gkolomeev set a new world record in the 50-meter freestyle at a closed meet in North Carolina. His time of 20.89 seconds was verified by USA Swimming officials in attendance. The Greek swimmer, who finished fifth at the Paris Olympic Games in August 2024, earned a million dollars for breaking the record.
“I’m very proud for the work that I did with my coach the last four months,” Gkolomeev said. “I feel happy and relieved that I broke the record.”
What are anti-doping and traditional sports organizations saying?
Officials from the International Olympic Committee, the World Anti-Doping Agency and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency issued statements condemning the competition. They called it reckless and said it could jeopardize the health of the athletes.
“It’s a dangerous clown show, not real sport,” Travis Tygart, CEO of the USADA, said.
Former Olympic cross country skier Noah Hoffman denounced the games on Sky News on Thursday, May 22.
“It’s counter to the ideals of inspiring young people to be able to set and achieve goals without needing to have the best doctors without needing to take risks with their bodies,” Hoffman said. “This is not what I sought out in sports….and I don’t think what many other high-level, serious athletes are seeking out in sport.”
Athletes are being recruited from around the world for the inaugural games, which will be held over four days at Resorts World in Las Vegas. The event will feature just three sports: sprinting, swimming and weightlifting. The winners of each competition will earn half a million dollars in prize money.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
