The Enhanced Games, set to take place in Las Vegas in May 2026, bills itself as a radical reimagining of elite sport, one where athletes can take banned substances under “medical supervision” in an attempt to break world records and win big.
Organizers are offering $1 million bonuses for any athlete who manages to do just that.
But for many, the concept isn’t revolutionary; it’s reckless.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is leading the charge against the event, calling it dangerous, irresponsible, and completely out of step with the values of sport.
“This initiative seeks to normalize the use of potentially dangerous drugs,” said WADA president Witold Bańka during a meeting of Olympic sports leaders in Lausanne. “For the sake of athlete health and the purity of sport, of course it must be stopped.”
Bańka said WADA will be urging U.S. authorities to find legal avenues to block the event before it gets off the ground. He also raised concerns that doctors administering performance-enhancing drugs could be in violation of state and federal laws.
“I cannot imagine doctors giving the drugs to the athletes,” he told the Associated Press. “It is completely against the values of their work.”
The Enhanced Games first gained attention last year as a fringe idea, but its profile has grown with the backing of biotech investors and political figures, including groups tied to Donald Trump Jr. The event’s business model goes beyond just competition, it also includes selling personalized supplement and drug plans to paying subscribers, raising even more ethical and legal red flags.
For athletes who are part of WADA-regulated sports, which covers most major competitions globally, participating in the Enhanced Games could be a career-ending move. WADA has warned that involvement could result in anti-doping violations and bans from future events, including the Olympics.
The backlash hasn’t been limited to WADA itself. Its Athlete Council, made up of current and former elite athletes, released a strong statement opposing the Games and urging athletes not to participate.
“These Games represent a dangerous concept that ignores decades of medical evidence and the lived experiences of athletes harmed by doping,” the council said. “To encourage such an event is both irresponsible and unacceptable.”
Governments have joined the chorus of criticism as well. A coalition of public authorities that sit on WADA’s board reaffirmed their commitment to clean sport and rejected the Enhanced Games outright.
In a statement issued earlier this month, they warned that promoting the use of banned substances under the guise of sport science poses serious risks not just to athletes’ health, but to the legitimacy of sport itself.
“This initiative endangers athlete health and undermines the values of fairness and respect,” the group said. “It erodes public trust and diminishes the achievements of clean athletes who compete with integrity.”
Even sports federations are taking action.
World Aquatics, the global governing body for swimming, announced it will ban any athletes, coaches, or officials who participate in the Enhanced Games. Others are expected to follow.
Not everyone is on the same page, though. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), which has had a tense relationship with WADA in the past, responded to Bańka’s comments with skepticism.
USADA CEO Travis Tygart criticized the idea of seeking a government-led shutdown, calling it out of sync with American values.
“Banka’s indignation equals his misinformation or ignorance about how free democratic societies and markets work,” he said. He even challenged Bańka to appear before the U.S. Senate at a hearing next week on WADA.
Still, with the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics on the horizon, the idea of a drug-fueled, record-breaking spectacle happening on U.S. soil just two years earlier isn’t sitting well with many. Bańka called the situation “very embarrassing” for the U.S., and it’s clear the fight to stop the Enhanced Games is only just beginning.
Whether or not American lawmakers take action, the message from the global sports world is clear, this isn’t just about one competition in Las Vegas. It’s about drawing a line in the sand, between clean sport and something that looks increasingly like a high-stakes science experiment.
