Organizers of a new controversial sporting exhibition that will allow athletes to use performance-enhancing drugs announced on Wednesday that sprints and hurdles will be included in its inaugural event in Las Vegas next year.
Enhanced Games revealed that it plans an Olympic-style competition with eight different events that range from swimming, track and weightlifting and will be featured on the Las Vegas Strip.
The showcase will take place on May 21-24, 2026 at Resorts World and the structure of permitting athletes to use widely banned substances like testosterone, growth hormones and steroids — among others — is part of founder Aron D’Souza’s aim to push the boundaries of competition.
“Less than two years ago I drew this logo on a cocktail napkin in a bar in Miami,” D’Souza said during a media session on Wednesday. “And now we’re here today sitting on stage with multiple world record holders ushering in the start of what I believe will be viewed is the next age of mankind.”
D’Souza, an Australian businessman and lawyer, founded Enhanced in 2022 after claiming that he realized many gym users were clearly taking anabolic steroids and wanted to establish a platform that was a gateway for people to freely use the substances of their choice.
“An age of superhumanity, an age of enhancement where three of humanity’s most important endeavors — science, medicine and sport — have now merged together. This is going to be an important juncture in human history,” D’Souza added. “It’s very hard for us to anticipate what the impact of this will be because so many technological and scientific advancements have been held back by an old rule set. Now they are unleashed and opened up. I think we’ll be here in 50 years looking back saying, ‘wow, it was at this day where we unlocked superhumanity.’ ”
Enhanced boldly claims that its scientific aspirations can be safely implemented in sports, while athletes involved in its events will face rigorous medical testing prior to competitions.
And the company says athletes can expect hefty appearance fees, bonuses and increased payouts for breaking records.
Meanwhile, the company has quickly raised capital in just over two years since its inception, drawing the support from the Donald Trump, Jr.-backed 1989 Capital that also includes Omeed Malik and Chris Buskirk. Hedge fund Karatage is also on board along with Apeiron Investment Group.
Paypal co-founder Peter Thiel is listed on a separate section of Enhanced’s website as a investor along with technology investor Christian Angermayer and former Coinbase chief technology officer Balaji Srinivasan.
Thiel and D’Souza have deep ties, after teaming to back the legal efforts of the 2013 Bollea v. Gawker Media privacy lawsuit that ultimately led to Gawker filing for bankruptcy.
D’Souza sees the efforts of Enhanced reaching far beyond its exhibitions, which he believes will serve a far-reaching purpose.
“We’re going to cure amazing diseases, we’re going to find amazing treatments and extend human performance and human life because of the work done by the people on this stage,” D’Souza said. “Athletes need to disclose their protocols to us. However, everyone is entitled to their medical privacy. But I’ve used some enhancements before. But I don’t want to disclose myself because I don’t want people to copy me. I don’t want to become a social media influencer.”
During the event’s announcement, Enhanced also claimed that swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev broke a pair of world 50m freestyle world record. A video posted on social media platform X showed Gkolomeev completing a 50m freestyle swim alone in 20.89 seconds, which is faster than Cesar Cielo’s 2009 record of 20.91. Gkolomeev was also credited with a 21.03 time, breaking Caeleb Dressel’s 2019 50m freestyle record of 21.04 in jammers shorts, which are compliant with World Aquatics’ regulations.
According to Enhanced, Gkolomeev will receive $1 million prize for his performance. He placed fifth in the 50m freestyle at the Paris Olympics for Greece last year and started a performance-enhancing drug program in January.
“This isn’t just about breaking records,” Gkolomeev said. “It’s about breaking limits. 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.”
World Aquatics has not recognized the newly-claimed records and criticized Enhanced on Friday in comments made to Xinhua News Agency.
“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 swimming governing body said in the statement. “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.”
For those athletes who choose to participate in next year’s showcase, the financial stakes are high now that the event disciplines have been revealed.
Swimmers will compete in the 50m and 100m freestyle, along with the 50m and 100m butterfly while track athletes are slated to run in the 100m and 100m/110m hurdles. The weightlifting portion includes the snatch plus the clean and jerk.
Each event will offer a $500,000 purse and $250,000 to all first-place finishers, including bonuses for world records and appearance fees.
