Enhanced Games athletes can 'break' world records by doping and land huge payouts
William Morgan
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock
The world of competitive sports is about to face a major challenge to a century of anti-doping measures, with an event for drugged up athletes kicking off later this week and promising to break a number of world records.
Athletes at the 'Enhanced Games', which is holding its inaugural competition in the already drug-fueled city of Las Vegas, have even been offered a cash incentive to use performance-enhancing drugs to break the records set by 'clean' competitors.
While some might expect these athletes to take anything that can give them a competitive edge, the organizers have been forced to put some rules in place to protect the safety of its participants - who can otherwise chug any number of otherwise banned chemicals.
Taking place over the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, the first-ever Enhanced Games will feature a focused schedule with only a handful of sports that will best show what some of the world's best athletes can do when juiced up to the gills.
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With this pro-doping sports competition taking place in just a matter of days, there has never been a more relevant time to share an ancient joke by Scottish comedian Frankie Boyle.
"I want the athletes to take drugs," he said on British TV in 2008. "I mean, do you want to see someone shave a hundredth of a second off the 100m record, or do you want to see them run it with the legs of a kangaroo and the heart of a leopard?
"I want to see a race where someone goes so fast they disappear midway through, reappear on the other side 80 years older, scream 'Beware China!' and crumble into dust."
The sports that will see professional athletes competing while on a number of performance enhancing drugs are well-suited to show the potential for the format, with track, swimming, weightlifting, and strongman events being held this weekend.
There will be seven events across these four disciplines for men to compete in, with two events for juiced-up female competitors. Each event will see four pros compete for the gold medal and rake in some major winnings.
Thankfully for the health of those taking part, no competitors are allowed to take any illegal substances, with all performance-enhancing drugs requiring FDA approval if they are to be taken.
While this raises the prospect of illegal doping at the pro-doping competition, this will leave athletes with plenty of room to juice their performance with targeted drug regimes.
That includes the use of anabolic steroids to boost their overall power, testosterone to increase their endurance, and peptides known as human growth hormone to help repair tissue and aid muscle growth.
Other substances like Adderall and study drug Modafinil could also be in play to help boost each competitor's mental prowess as well.
The drugged-up events, dreamed up by Australian businessman Aron D'Souza, start on May 21 and will run until May 24.
All of the sportspeople taking part this weekend will receive some form of payment, regardless of whether they come first or last.
Considering the impact that these performance-enhancing drug routines has on their personal finances, not to mention their health, payment for taking part does seem like the minimum.
With dozens of former Olympic-level athletes signed up to take part, each will receive a major payout, starting at $50,000 for fourth place. Third place finishers will then get $75,000, with a $125,000 lump sum for second.
First place in the Enhanced Games will land the winner with a handsome $250,000.
While this might seem like a high enough sum to entice athletes into the new dark side of professional sports, the Enhanced Games will have an even larger incentive for competitors to push their bodies to the peak of human performance.
That is, a $1,000,000 bonus for breaking any world records in sport. So a first place finish and a world record would be a $1,250,000 payday.
For reference, the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee offers gold medal winners just $37,500 for being the very best athlete in their field in the world.
Only one day of the Enhanced Games will be available to stream online.
Its website states: "The inaugural Enhanced Games emanate live from Las Vegas on Sunday, May 24, signaling a new era of sport on Memorial Day Weekend 2026.
"The one-night spectacle kicks off with the Opening Events at 6:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. PT on YouTube, Rumble, Twitch and Kick, as weightlifting and swimming athletes target new heights and world records across Snatch, Clean & Jerk and select men’s swim races."
The games will also be streamed on Roku Channel, with coverage starting at starting at 8:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. PT.