The controversial Enhanced Games are officially kicking off this weekend in Las Vegas, but don’t mistake this for a total free-for-all. As detailed by LADbible, the event is designed to embrace performance-enhancing substances that would typically lead to a ban in traditional sporting competitions, but there is a very specific rulebook in place. Athletes who want to stay in the running for the massive prize money must stick to substances approved by America’s Food and Drug Administration.
Created by Australian businessman Aron DSouza, the games explicitly aim to allow athletes to push the limits of human capability. Even if you enter just one swimming event and finish in fourth place, you take home $50,000. Winners bag $250,000, with an additional $250,000 bonus for anyone who manages to break an official world record.
It is no wonder that the event has attracted some serious talent, including former Olympians looking for a new stage. When it comes to permitted substances, athletes can use testosterone and various anabolics such as methenolone and nandrolone, alongside hormones and growth factors including human growth hormone and EPO, metabolic modulators like meldonium, and stimulants such as Adderall. The FDA approval requirement is the line in the sand, and any athlete using something outside that approved scope will face disqualification.
The physical toll on athletes competing is already plain to see
The transformation some of these athletes have undergone is striking. Australian swimmer James Magnussen, 35 and one of the biggest names to sign up, revealed that he gained 10 pounds of lean muscle after starting his regimen, though he admitted the process took a toll on his body. He said his nervous system was fried, making it difficult to maintain the top-end speed and explosivity he was known for during his Olympic career.
Twenty-six-year-old Irish swimmer Max McCusker joined the games for the financial opportunity, noting that despite having qualified for the Olympics and competed at world and European championships, he found himself with no money. His body fat has dropped from 11.8 percent to 7.5 percent since starting his regimen. Amid ongoing controversy around athlete career injuries, the physical demands placed on elite competitors at events like this are drawing fresh scrutiny.
Not everyone is a fan of this new model. World Aquatics, the international federation recognized by the International Olympic Committee for administering international competitions in water sports, has been vocal in its opposition. The federation previously described the event as a sideshow that distorts the true spirit of sport, and stated that for every step forward taken by clean athletes, those competing in the Enhanced Games are taking ten steps backwards.
Despite the criticism, DSouza has maintained that athlete safety is a paramount concern. He acknowledged risks involved with performance enhancements but said protocols are designed to minimize those risks and ensure long-term well-being. For athletes like Andrii Govorov, a 34-year-old two-time Olympian from Ukraine who holds the world record for the 50m butterfly, the event offers a chance to return to peak performance. Govorov said that sponsorship in his home country dried up following the Russian invasion, and that he currently feels stronger, more explosive, and more motivated than he has in at least seven years.
Megan Romano, a 35-year-old two-time gold medalist at the World Aquatics Championships, retired nine years ago and sees the games as an opportunity to test her limits and see if she can match the personal bests she was setting in her 20s. Reports suggest she may even be faster now than she was then. The Enhanced Games begin this weekend in Las Vegas, with the Tesla FSD controversy over human performance limits serving as a broader reminder that debates around where to draw the line on human and technological capability are playing out across multiple fronts.
Published: May 21, 2026 01:45 pm