Image: Enhanced Games media. The inaugural Enhanced Games are scheduled for Resorts World Las Vegas over Memorial Day weekend.- The Enhanced Games are scheduled to debut Sunday, May 24, at Resorts World Las Vegas.
- Organizers say athletes may use FDA-approved performance-enhancing substances under medical supervision.
- Reported substances include testosterone, HGH, EPO, stimulants, metabolic modulators and anabolic steroid agents — all banned by WADA in normal competition.
- WADA and mainstream sports bodies have condemned the event as dangerous and irresponsible.
The Enhanced Games are set to debut this weekend in Las Vegas, putting a controversial idea into live competition: elite athletes competing while openly allowed to use performance-enhancing substances that traditional sport bans.
The event is scheduled for Sunday, May 24, at a purpose-built arena at Resorts World Las Vegas. CNBC and The Guardian report that 42 athletes are expected to compete across swimming, sprinting, weightlifting and strength events, with organizers presenting the format as medically supervised and transparent rather than hidden doping.
What athletes are allowed to use
The central difference is the rulebook. Enhanced says athletes may use substances approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, under its medical protocols. But many of those substances are prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency in ordinary elite sport.
CNBC reported that the company says competitors have used testosterone and testosterone esters, human growth hormone, stimulants such as Adderall, metabolic modulators used alongside anabolic agents, erythropoietin and anabolic steroid agents.
The Guardian’s explainer listed the allowed categories as testosterone and anabolics, hormones and growth factors such as HGH and EPO, metabolic modulators such as meldonium, and stimulants. The outlet noted that these are all outlawed by WADA.
The numbers being reported
The Los Angeles Times reported that Enhanced disclosed drug-use rates for 36 athletes scheduled to compete and said its clinical study is listed on ClinicalTrials.gov. According to that report, 90.5% of tested athletes used testosterone or testosterone esters, 79% used human growth hormone, 62% used stimulants, 50% used metabolic modulators, 41% used EPO and 29% used an anabolic steroid agent.
Those figures come from the event’s own disclosures and should be read as part of the Games’ public case for regulated enhancement, not as independent proof that the model is safe.
Image: Enhanced Games / CNBC. Organizers frame the event as a medically monitored alternative to hidden doping.Who is competing
The roster includes athletes with Olympic and world-championship credentials. CNBC and The Guardian reported names including U.S. sprinter Fred Kerley, Australian swimmer James Magnussen and U.S. Olympic swimmer Cody Miller. The Guardian also listed swimmers Ben Proud, Andriy Govorov and Emily Barclay, plus sprinter Reece Prescod.
Enhanced says prize money is part of the draw. Its own announcement described $500,000 prize pools for individual events, with $250,000 to winners, plus record-breaking bonuses including $1 million for the 100m sprint and 50m freestyle.
Why WADA is warning against it
WADA has condemned the Enhanced Games as a “dangerous and irresponsible concept,” saying the event promotes powerful substances and methods “for the purposes of entertainment and marketing.” The agency warned that athletes tied to Code-regulated sport could face anti-doping consequences and reputational risk.
The criticism is not just moral language. WADA says some prohibited substances have been linked to serious long-term side effects and deaths. The Los Angeles Times also cited health risks associated with steroid use, including cardiovascular, liver and hormonal effects.
What this does — and does not prove
The debut will likely produce fast times, heavy lifts and viral clips. But any “records” set under Enhanced Games rules will not be official world records under Olympic or federation standards. The format changes the comparison: different drugs, different medical allowances, and in swimming, potentially different suits.
The real test is broader than Sunday’s leaderboard. It is whether the spectacle normalizes enhancement as a consumer-health product category. CNBC reported that the company behind the Games has product ambitions beyond sport, including supplements, hormone-replacement offerings and planned peptide access.
NoDechev rating: real event, disputed model. The Enhanced Games are scheduled to debut in Las Vegas with medically supervised use of substances banned by WADA, but claims about safety and fairness remain contested.
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The Enhanced Games debut Sunday in Las Vegas with athletes allowed to use medically supervised performance-enhancing substances — including testosterone, HGH, EPO, stimulants and anabolic agents. Organizers call it transparency. WADA calls it dangerous.
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