A new sports event called the “Enhanced Games,” scheduled for May 2026 in Las Vegas, is drawing fierce criticism for openly permitting athletes to use performance-enhancing drugs like steroids and growth hormones—substances that have long been banned in professional sports. The event promises massive cash prizes, turning the use of banned substances into a selling point rather than a disqualifier. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) condemned the move as “dangerous and irresponsible,” while World Aquatics described it as a “circus built on shortcuts.” On May 23, China’s Anti-Doping Agency issued a statement strongly opposing the glamorization of doping under the guise of “scientific advancement” and called on the international sports community to take a united stance against the Enhanced Games.

The event is the brainchild of Australian entrepreneur Aron D’Souza but has found fertile ground in the United States, thanks in part to support from wealthy and influential figures in business and politics. That it is taking place in the U.S.—rather than anywhere else—is no coincidence. It reflects the systemic failure of America’s anti-doping oversight. For years, U.S. doping control has been notorious for being fragmented and inconsistent. Over 90% of athletes, including those in collegiate and professional sports leagues, operate outside the framework of internationally recognized anti-doping protocols. In fact, just last September, WADA issued a formal request for a major overhaul of U.S. anti-doping efforts. While Washington touts the global reach of the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act, domestically it has become a hotspot for doping abuse—and now, the host of a doping-encouraged tournament.

No matter how the organizers try to repackage it, the Enhanced Games remain a brazen affront to the spirit of sport, a challenge to international sporting rules, and a threat to fundamental human ethics. Disguised as a celebration of “technological progress” and human “biological potential,” the event is, in truth, a testbed for a dystopian industrial model—where pharmaceutical companies, tech investors, entertainment media, and lobbying groups converge to normalize and profit from drug-enhanced human performance. This is not a sporting event; it’s a carefully orchestrated experiment in techno-capitalist excess. Rather than an “Enhanced Games,” it might be more accurate to call it the “Doped Games.”

As WADA spokesperson James Fitzgerald rightly pointed out, the Enhanced Games prioritizes spectacle and marketing over athlete welfare, pushing competitors toward the dangerous use of banned substances. Scientific research has shown that long-term use of synthetic steroids and growth hormones can cause severe liver and kidney damage, cardiovascular disease, and even death. Yet the Enhanced Games ignores these risks, recklessly endangering athletes for profit. The longstanding international consensus—upheld by the International Olympic Committee and countless other bodies—against doping exists not only to protect athletes’ health but also to uphold fairness and preserve the integrity of competition. The Enhanced Games aim to undermine that consensus.

Sports have never been merely about speed or strength; they are symbolic of fairness, perseverance, and human dignity. The Enhanced Games stand in direct opposition to these values, turning victory into a function of chemistry and financial backing, and transforming competition into a technological arms race—where the most aggressive enhancement wins. What meaning is left in sport if medals are determined by the best pharmaceutical cocktail? U.S. institutions bear a moral responsibility to block this event. Doing so is not just about protecting global sports ethics; it’s about safeguarding American youth and society from becoming the testing ground for ethically questionable technological ventures.

At its core, the Enhanced Games is not simply a challenge to sports ethics but a symptom of a deeper ideological trend in the United States—a growing techno-extremism that prioritizes scientific disruption over moral boundaries. Far from showcasing the future of human potential, the Games reveal the dystopian consequences of unrestrained capital and radical libertarianism colliding. This isn’t just a sporting controversy; it reflects an accelerating systemic unraveling within American society, one that could have consequences far beyond the field of athletics.

What the U.S. ultimately chooses to do about the Enhanced Games will be a litmus test—not just for its commitment to fair sport, but for its stance on ethics, governance, and the role of technology in human life. The world is watching.

Editor: LQQ