Las Vegas, a city synonymous with spectacle, hosted the inaugural Enhanced Games on Sunday night, an event that permitted the use of performance-enhancing drugs and promised a cascade of world records. The reality, however, was more subdued: only one record fell, and the performances of many athletes, including some who claimed to be drug-free, challenged the event's core premise.
The brainchild of billionaire investors including Peter Thiel and Donald Trump Jr., the Enhanced Games offered $250,000 per event win and a $1 million bonus for breaking a world record. Athletes competed in swimming, weightlifting, and track, with a stated goal of pushing human limits beyond what traditional sport allows.
A Night of Mixed Results
The standout performance came from Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev, who won the 50-metre freestyle in 20.81 seconds, just 0.07 seconds faster than the legal world record set by Australia's Cameron McEvoy earlier this year. Gkolomeev, using WADA-banned substances and a polyurethane skinsuit, claimed the $1 million bonus. However, the record is unofficial, and online critics questioned the timing after video appeared to show him touching the wall after the time had already flashed. The Enhanced Games dismissed the claims as unfounded.
On the track, American sprinter Fred Kerley, who had predicted he would destroy Usain Bolt's 100-metre world record, ran 9.97 seconds. At the Paris Olympics two years ago, Kerley ran 9.81 and won bronze; a 9.97 would have placed him last in that final. The race was interrupted by four false starts and an untied shoe. Kerley, who said he did not use performance enhancers, still collected $250,000.
Barbadian sprinter Tristan Evelyn, also competing drug-free, won the women's 100 metres in 11.25 seconds, a modest time. "This proves that winning takes more than chemistry," she said. British swimmer Ben Proud, an Olympic silver medallist who did take multiple substances, won the 50-metre butterfly in 22.32 seconds, just 0.05 seconds outside the world record. "We all know what we came for. And that's world records. And so to be that agonizingly close, it's frustrating," he said.
Given that three athletes who said they were competing drug-free won events, the results raise questions about the Enhanced Games' central premise: that pharmacological freedom unlocks superhuman performance.
Drug Use and Health Concerns
Organisers published a breakdown of substances taken by athletes over an eight-week preparation period: 91% used testosterone or testosterone esters, 79% used human growth hormone, 62% used stimulants like Adderall, and 41% used EPO. All medications were approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. The Enhanced Games' parent company sells many of these substances to the public, arguing that banning them stifles potential.
The International Olympic Committee and WADA have declared the results illegal. World Aquatics called the event a "circus, built on short-cuts." Health experts have expressed alarm. Professor Rob Aughey of Federation University Australia called it "a dangerous stunt with no place as a sporting event," warning of risks including high blood pressure, abnormal heart growth, kidney and liver damage, and psychological harm. Dr Catherine Norton of the University of Limerick highlighted the danger of combining multiple substances at high doses.
The event's European angle is clear: it challenges the continent's anti-doping framework, which is central to organisations like WADA and the IOC. The European Union has long supported clean sport through funding and policy, and the Enhanced Games directly undermines that. The spectacle in Las Vegas may be a distant one, but its implications for European athletes and sports governance are significant.
As the dust settles, the Enhanced Games leaves more questions than answers. Whether it will return or fade into obscurity remains to be seen, but for now, it has sparked a debate that Europe cannot ignore.
