What are the Enhanced Games? Olympic-style comp encourages performance-enhancing drugs
Unsplash: Braden CollumThe Enhanced Games are going forward, but what exactly does this Olympic-style competition involve and where do performance-enhancing drugs join the mix?
As the world’s leading international sporting event, the Olympic Games sees more than 200 teams come together to compete, each representing sovereign states and territories.
The competition generates substantial revenue in the billions and is considered the epitome of many athlete’s sporting careers. However, there is one steadfast rule — no performance-enhancing drugs allowed.
But for those athletes who have previously fallen short of their dreams due to using performance-enhancing drugs, good news is on the horizon. The Enhanced Games are officially set to go forward, introducing a new Olympic-style competition that aims to test the limits of athletes when performance enhancement is allowed.
What are the Enhanced Games?
The first event of its kind, the Enhanced Games is a planned international sports event that “believes in the medical and scientific process of elevating humanity to its full potential, through [a] community of committed athletes.”
Featuring a range of sporting events, the Enhanced Games will run similarly to the Olympics but with one major difference — performance enhancements are not only allowed but encouraged to be used by competing athletes.
“The inclusion of performance enhancements can have significantly positive effects on the results of training and exercise routines,” the games’ website states.
“After years of oppression, we are seeing a push-back against the anti-science dogma purported by the incumbent sporting leagues. Enhanced is here to free science and sport from those who would rather it be shackled.”
The games are headed by Aron D’Souza, an Australian businessman based in London, and funded by venture capitalists such as Christian Angermayer, Peter Thiel, and Balaji Srinivasan.
The exact prize pool and compensation structure will be announced in mid-2024, with applications opening later in the year.