The inaugural Enhanced Games is set to take place on Sunday (May 24) in Las Vegas. The event will see professional athletes from around the world participate in swimming, weightlifting and track with the aid of performance-enhancing drugs.
Nicknamed by fans as the ‘Doping Olympics’ or ‘Steroid Olympics’, the event will feature 50 athletes, who will use performance enhancers of their own choice. Speaking to the media, Max Martin, CEO and co-founder of Enhanced Games, said, “A big success for us would be the athletes being healthy, safe, better paid and happier than they’ve ever been before.”
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Donald Trump Jr’s investment firm
In the spotlight is Donald Trump Jr, whose investment firm, 1789 Capital, joined Peter Thiel on the cap table of the company behind the games. The WADA and IOC have been highly critical of the competition. WADA chief Witold Banka called it a dangerous event.
Benjamin Cohen, director general of the International Testing Agency, said, “I’ve heard some people calling it the ‘Doping Olympics,’ but even using the word ‘Olympics’ (is a stretch).”
“At the end of the day, it’s a one-day event, it’s 2,000 people eating popcorn and there’s a music concert. It’s (50) athletes. It’s not right to put it on the same level.”
The idea for Enhanced Games was conceived in 2022 and officially announced in 2023. The parent company, Enhanced, went public on May 8 and saw its stock drop by around half to 5.24 USD on Friday afternoon.
Huge prize money and ban threat
The Enhanced Games will offer 250,000 USD in first prizes and bonuses of up to 1 million USD for record-breakers in top events like the 100m sprint.
The biggest name among the participants is Fred Kerley, the 2022 world 100m champion, with a personal best of 9.76 seconds.
Although World Athletics president Sebastian Coe has warned athletes competing at the Enhanced Games that they could face a long ban. Kerley is not worried. He told reporters, “I will compete at the Olympics in 2028. They can’t do nothing. We, us athletes, pay the bills. They don’t pay our bills.”
“I’m still getting tested from AIU, USADA. Simple. The only difference is my pocket is getting fatter… Somebody fires you from the job, don’t you gotta go get a look for ways to make more money?”
