Roids were all the rage at the Enhanced Games

Key Points:

• The inaugural Enhanced Games in Las Vegas showcased athletes using FDA-approved performance-enhancing drugs under medical supervision, with swimmer Cody Miller winning the men’s 50m breaststroke and earning $250,000, marking a new era where doping is openly embraced and financially rewarded.
• Founded by tech entrepreneurs and backed by high-profile investors, the Enhanced Games aim to push athletic limits through personalized drug protocols, offering up to $1 million in prize money and combining sports with a telehealth business selling supplements and hormone therapies to consumers.
• The event faced criticism from traditional sports authorities and anti-doping agencies, who labeled it dangerous and unethical, while Enhanced emphasizes scientific transparency and harm reduction, conducting a five-year clinical study to better understand the effects and safety of performance enhancers.
• Despite technical glitches and mixed athletic outcomes—only one world record was broken, notably by an enhanced athlete—the Games highlighted ongoing debates about fairness, health risks, and the future of sports, with some clean athletes outperforming their enhanced counterparts.
• Enhanced’s leaders and athletes advocate for biohacking as a scientific evolution beyond traditional medicine, though experts question the validity of the clinical study design and long-term safety, while the spectacle raises questions about whether the Games represent a genuine movement or a commercial wellness grift.