Are Enhanced Games Really Taking Place in Vegas?

Say it ain't so. I turned on the car radio just in time to hear the end of a report about an Olympic-style event in Las Vegas where athletes can use all the performance-enhancing drugs that are banned from other sports. That can't be true. Is it?

Yes, it's true.

The first-ever "Enhanced Games" will take place at Resorts World May 21-24. According to the official description, "Over four days, competitors will race, lift and swim with full access to drugs and therapies banned in virtually every other elite athletic setting." The headline of the press release sums it up nicely: "On Your Marks, Get Set, Dope!"

According to the Guardian, the Enhanced Games "aim to revolutionize sports by embracing what organizers call 'superhumanity' – a future where pharmaceutical and technological enhancement is normalized in elite competition. But while promoters cast it as a bold break from the past, critics are already raising alarms about safety, fairness, and the fundamental integrity of sports."

Reportedly, athletes can compete drug-free, use enhancement meds by following listed protocols, or participate in a clinical trial using FDA-approved drugs designated as “investigational medicinal products.”

The organizers, led by a London-based Australian entrepreneur, are ensuring "extensive medical screening, individualized health profiling, and oversight by independent scientific and ethics boards," but won't be subject to drug testing. The event is relying on the athletes to tell the truth about what substances they're using. Hm.

The Enhanced Games will include sprinting, swimming, and weightlifting. Check out the prize money: up to $500,000 per event, including a $1 million bonus for breaking the 100-meter sprint or 50-meter freestyle world records.

Four male swimmers, including Olympic medalist James Magnussen of Australia, have committed to the games. One female swimmer, Megan Romano, has as well; she's the first female and first American to join the lineup. In accepting the invitation, Romano said, "This is an opportunity to push the boundaries of human performance in a transparent and scientifically-backed environment, and to compete on a stage where female athletes are valued and compensated fairly equally. I believe this is the future of sport."

The critics are vocal. The World Anti-Doping Agency wrote, "As we have seen through history, performance-enhancing drugs have taken a terrible physical and mental toll on many athletes. Some have died. Clearly this event would jeopardize athletes’ health and well-being by promoting the abuse of powerful substances and methods that should only be prescribed, if at all, for specific therapeutic needs.”

There is also a political connection; the group backing the event includes certain high-level and controversial individuals, which we won't go into here, though you can easily look them up.

Will the public buy into this model? That remains to be seen. Organizers are "in talks with major sponsors and streaming platforms, but haven't confirmed any broadcast partners or marquee athletes beyond a handful of early adopters. If backlash builds – from federations, governments or regulators – it’s unclear whether the model will survive its first test."

Let's put it to the test. Would you travel to Las Vegas to go to Enhanced Games? If you were in Las Vegas, would you attend? If it's televised, would you watch?

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David Miller Aug-13-2025

Another Step in the Wrong Direction

 What is next, the porno games? Illegal drug taking contests? How about the murder games? Or the car jacking games? Breaking and entry contests? Smash and grab relays? This is just another reason to not patronize Resorts World.

sunny78 Aug-13-2025

Please

Imho, this is low and pathetic. And I frankly don't get who this will appeal to. And I'd guess to most serious athletes, this type of thing would be something they'd avoid with a 10 foot pole.  

As for the "test" questions, obviously 4 No's from me.

David, your questions on what's next sadly just might come to pass one day. Nothing frankly surprises me anymore.

jstewa22 Aug-13-2025

backing

From Associated Press:

Trump Jr. backs Enhanced Games, an Olympic disruptor that would allow some steroids in sports

O2bnVegas Aug-13-2025

Bad dream

That's what it sounds like, a bad dream from which one would hopefully awake and find not to be reality.  What happened to healthy competition without pressure to advance to 'greatness'?

Candy

Bob Aug-13-2025

Nope

"Let's put it to the test. Would you travel to Las Vegas to go to Enhanced Games? If you were in Las Vegas, would you attend? If it's televised, would you watch?"  Nope, Nope and Nope!

thebeachbum Aug-13-2025

Not A Surprise

Resorts World needs help.  Answer is no and no.

Roy Aug-13-2025

Just Say NO

This is a big NO for me,  even worse than most of the "reality" events already on TV.

John Dulley Aug-13-2025

Awful

This sounds horrible but I’m guessing it’ll get at least decent ratings on TV with some people tuning in out of curiosity just to look at some doped up freaks..

Susan Johnson Aug-13-2025

Scary

NOPE

kafka45 Aug-13-2025

Egad

No matter how old I get 
..Vegas still manages to come  up with something that just has me saying "You're not SERIOUS.

Donzack Aug-13-2025

$$$

What’s the net profit?$$$  the bottom line

Gene Brown Aug-13-2025

Hmmm!

So this is what we doing now? Professional Sports, huh? Pay attention Baseball hopefuls! Pay attention NBA Executives! Sin City just got re-defined.

Derick Aug-13-2025

drug games

Go to see if some dummy doing drugs croaks!

Randall Ward Aug-13-2025

enhanced?

no, a silly gimmick.

Robert Byrne Aug-13-2025

No, No, and No!

My title line says it all. As a retired doctor, who was involved in sports medicine, I am vehemently against drugs in all forms of sport. (I was a club doctor to my local semi-professional football team for 25 years - sorry I should have said Soccer. we still call it by it's original name in the UK)

Timothy Grant Aug-13-2025

Enhanced Games

No interest. I will not watch, and will not attend if I happen to be in town. If I am in town while this is going on I will avoid Resorts World altogether.

Candace Corbani Aug-13-2025

AAAACK!

This appeals to the lowest common denominator of audience support.  The Roman Empire Collapse comes to mind when thinking about both the avarice of the participants and the lust and debauchery of the audience.

Eileen Aug-13-2025

Horrible Idea

You would think Resorts World has enough trouble with their "money matters" that they wouldn't want this kind of bad publicity.

Marcus Leath Aug-13-2025

Sleaze

Is anyone surprised that this low-life activity is being promoted in Las Vegas?  And this is from Newsweek: 

Trump Jr. said in the Enhanced Games press release: "The Enhanced Games represent the future - real competition, real freedom, and real records being smashed. This is about excellence, innovation, and American dominance on the world stage - something the MAGA movement is all about.

"The Enhanced Games are going to be huge, and I couldn't be prouder to support this movement that is changing sports forever."

sunny78 Aug-13-2025

sad

Sad how some are getting their politics thrown in by stating a certain name of someone in a political family. If they truly weren't political, they'd realize there's far more people and groups supporting this. It's called make a buck people, and it goes way beyond your political obsessions. Get off of your bias and state the bigger picture. From Grok, supporters:

Peter Thiel: "Billionaire venture capitalist, co-founder of PayPal, and early investor in Facebook." 

Christian Angermayer: "A German billionaire investor and founder of Apeiron Investment Group, Angermayer is known for his investments in biotech, psychedelics (via atai Life Sciences), and cryptocurrencies."

Karatage and Apeiron: "These investment groups are tied to tech and biotech sectors, with Apeiron directly linked to Angermayer."
Balaji Srinivasan: "A former Coinbase CTO and venture capitalist"

I could reference more but running out of LVA char space. Point is,this is backed by a lot of people and big $$$$$.

Robert Aug-13-2025

No surprise

From the press release: Silver-spooned moron discovers a way to embarrass America even further.

sunny78 Aug-13-2025

summary

And it's beyond obvious in my opinion what this is about after reading the details from Grok and the names and industries involved. And the core of it has nothing really to do with Las Vegas or Resorts world as many of you are jumping to, short of hosting it. In my view it's clear the primary goal is to highlight the biotech/drug industry. And make a $$$ off of it to highlight their products in use. Welcome to capitalism folks. It may be distasteful to me and you, but so is lots of aspects of life depending who you talk to on a given topic. Many of you gamble here and that frankly is distasteful to lots of people and seen as a useless low-life activity, and worse, in the eyes of many. So be it. Everyone has an opinion and a view and are free to do with what they want with their money regardless if you or I like it or agree with it. To each their own.

Robert Aug-13-2025

@sunny78

Even if the Dalai Lama were behind it, most reasonable people would still see this as a stupid idea. There's things in life that are more important than money. Integrity, honor, fairness, etc...

sunny78 Aug-13-2025

Robert

As I stated at the top of this thread, I'm not for this at all. I think athleticism should be a natural and organic pursuit at the gate without artificial enhancements. However, I can also respect the right of anyone/any entity who legally wants to make a $$$ off of something I don't at all agree with.

MannyB007 Aug-13-2025

Ablsolutely Not

Each of us has an ethical code. They are all different and none are wrong as ethics is a man made construct. However, these games go beyond my ethical comfort and I will not in any way support them.

Fumb Duck Aug-14-2025

Porno Games?

Great idea, bringing Vegas to a new low. Almost as exciting as watching a man wrestling a bear or a kangaroo.

Lotel Aug-14-2025

TACO, Trump jr and RFK

heavy drug users Trump jr. and RFK are behind this is all you need to know .  Enhanced Games features a video of President Trump on its website announcing Thursday's rollout of the partnership,

Raymond Aug-14-2025

Just What We Need

As if we don't already think/know that so many "athletic competitions" are fake and/or fixed, now we get "competition that begs to be described as phony.  Somehow it is appropriate that it involves at least one person whose only known attribute is being the Junior of someone important if not ethical, honest, or wise.

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