The first-ever Enhanced Games -- widely dubbed the “Steroid Olympics” -- take place Sunday in Las Vegas, where elite sprinters, swimmers and weightlifters will vie for world records while taking banned performance-enhancing drugs.
Either a bold exploration of the upper limits of human capability and technology, or a dangerous circus created to peddle dubious “biohacking” supplements to viewers, depending on who you ask, the wildly controversial event has generated countless column inches before a single race has been run.
Enhanced Games - Date and Day of Event
The first-ever Enhanced Games will be held on May 24, 2026 -- Memorial Day in the US -- in Las Vegas.
Where can Indians watch the Enhanced Games?
The Enhanced Games can be watched LIVE on YouTube.
What time do the Enhanced Games begin?
The Enhanced Games will get underway at 4AM IST.
How have the Games been received?
Since they were first mooted in 2023, the Enhanced Games have been slammed by organisations like the World Anti-Doping Agency, whose chief Witold Banka said the “dangerous” event “must be stopped.” World Aquatics has banned anyone who takes part from returning to its events, while World Athletics president Sebastian Coe has simply called the whole thing “bollocks.”
How is the event making money?
No traditional broadcaster has been announced -- but organizers are not relying on a lucrative TV deal to make a return on their investment. The Games’ website is already selling a range of supplements including peptides and testosterone, offering customers a chance to get “Enhanced” themselves.
It is part of the broader “biohacking” trend that seeks strength and longevity gains from experimental treatments, beloved by Silicon Valley tech bros and now becoming mainstream.
What is the prize money winning athletes will get?
Anyone who beats a world record will take home a $1 million prize, while winners at the 2,500 seater arena at Las Vegas casino Resorts World will each receive a $250,000 jackpot.
Have details been made public on the kind of performance-enhancing substances being used in the events?
The exact combination of drugs taken by each athlete has not been revealed. A handful are competing clean. Organisers say only substances approved by the US Food and Drug Administration have been administered, and the process is overseen by an independent medical board.
But University of Birmingham sport science professor Ian Boardley says that, while biomarker measurements can help mitigate short-term acute harm, the long-term risks of the substances being used are almost totally unknown.
“They are putting themselves at risk of life-shortening and fatal consequences,” including danger of heart issues, liver and kidney damage and cognitive decline, from anabolic steroids alone, he told AFP.
Testosterone use can trigger dependency and depression, while many peptides are a “wild West” about which even less is known, said Boardley.
Athletes have been told they will be tested and monitored long-term, though, and McCusker sounded sanguine about the chance of negative effects down the line.
“Is there a chance? Yeah, there could be a chance. But we’re doing everything to mitigate these chances,” he said. “There’s a chance if you drink too much caffeine there could be something wrong with you.”
And, in any case, “Do I think the Olympics is clean? Hell no. Sport is not clean,” he added.
-With Inputs from AFP
Published on May 24, 2026