The Enhanced Games, a privately funded, one-night competition that allows performance-enhancing drugs, takes place this Sunday in Las Vegas. Promoted as a new model for elite sport—one that embraces drug-aided performance under medical supervision—the event has attracted wide attention, big-name backers and sharp criticism from medical experts and sports authorities.
What the event is: The competition will be staged in a custom-built arena at Resorts World Las Vegas with a four-lane 50-meter pool, a six-lane sprint track and a weightlifting stage. More than 40 athletes from around the world will compete in swimming, track and field and weightlifting, plus a strongman-style deadlift showdown. Swimming events are 50- and 100-meter races in freestyle and butterfly. Track events include the 100-meter sprint and the 100- and 110-meter hurdles. Weightlifting features the snatch and clean and jerk.
Prize money and records: Enhanced Group, the company behind the event, says the total prize pool is $25 million. Each individual event reportedly has a $500,000 purse, with $250,000 for first place. The company also promises a $1 million bonus for breaking the world records in the 100-meter sprint or the 50-meter freestyle—but those marks would not be recognized by international governing bodies, which require anti-doping testing and sanctions.
Who’s behind it and how it’s funded: Enhanced Games was founded by Aron D’Souza; Max Martin is now CEO. The venture has drawn financial backing from well-known investors, including Donald Trump Jr.’s venture firm, 1789 Capital, and investor Peter Thiel. Enhanced Group is publicly traded and sells peptides and other supplements; the company says it is also documenting and studying how the drugs affect athletes.
Drug use and medical claims: Unlike traditional international competition, the Enhanced Games permit substances banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), including testosterone, human growth hormone and stimulants. The company has said the drugs used are FDA-approved and prescribed by doctors and that administration was overseen by independent medical and scientific commissions with personalized protocols and continuous monitoring.
In a pre-event update the company said roughly 91% of competing athletes used testosterone or testosterone esters, 79% used human growth hormone, and 62% used stimulants such as amphetamines. Enhanced says many athletes trained as part of company-run programs in Abu Dhabi and that the treatments were given under clinical oversight.
Safety concerns and expert reaction: Many sports medicine experts and anti-doping officials have condemned the event. Dr. Aaron Baggish, a professor of medicine who worked with sports teams for decades, called the commercial aspects ethically troubling and warned that FDA approval of a drug does not mean it is safe when used outside approved indications or at much higher doses for performance enhancement. He cited research linking high doses of testosterone to increased cardiovascular risk and said the long-term effects on athletes remain unknown.
Travis Tygart, CEO of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, described the games as a “dangerous clown show that puts profit over principle.” The International Olympic Committee called the concept a betrayal of Olympic values, and WADA urged authorities to stop the event. The International Federation of Sports Medicine said medical oversight as presented is insufficient to ensure athlete safety.
Critics say monitoring cannot eliminate the short- and long-term harms of high-dose or off-label use of hormones and stimulants, and point to studies linking steroid use to premature deaths and other serious health outcomes. Dr. Michael Joyner, a researcher in human performance, argued that anabolic steroids’ performance effects are already well established and questioned what the Games aim to prove.
Organizers’ response: Founder Aron D’Souza and Enhanced representatives argue the event brings previously unregulated practices under medical supervision and aims to reduce risks associated with clandestine use. They say the Games advocate for “safe, responsible and clinically supervised” enhancement rather than indiscriminate substance use. Enhanced also says it is conducting research on participants and documenting outcomes.
Who’s competing: The roster includes some prominent names. U.S. Olympic gold-medalist swimmers Cody Miller and Hunter Armstrong and British Olympic silver-medalist Ben Proud are entered. U.S. sprinter Fred Kerley, a world champion and two-time Olympic medalist who was suspended for whereabouts failures, is listed and has said he will compete without performance-enhancing drugs; Armstrong has also said he will compete clean. Most other competitors reportedly used substances under the company’s protocols, per Enhanced’s disclosures.
Broadcast and presentation: Former NFL player Emmanuel Acho and MLB Network broadcaster Abby Labar are among the event’s hosts. Enhanced is positioning the Games as both entertainment and a platform for its commercial and research ambitions.
Bottom line: The Enhanced Games are intentionally provocative—designed to test the boundaries of what sport might look like if performance enhancement were permitted and medically managed. Backers and the company present it as regulated, scientific and transparent. Outside experts and sports bodies warn it puts athletes at risk, undermines established anti-doping systems and prioritizes profit and spectacle over athlete health and fair competition. The long-term medical consequences for participants remain uncertain, and any records set at the event would not be recognized by mainstream sporting authorities.