Aurelia Butler

THE first edition of the Enhanced Games will be staged in Las Vegas in May 2026.The controversial sporting event – which is backed by businessman Donald Trump Jr., the son of the US President – will encourage its athletes to take performance-enhancing drugs to break existing world records on the track, in the pool and in the gym.Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev claims to have broken the 50m freestyle world recordCredit: X @enhanced_gamesGkolomeev was awarded $1million after taking performance enhancing drugsCredit: X @enhanced_gamesIt will be held annually and will initially consist of three sports – short-distance swimming, sprinting and weightlifting.Competitors will be permitted to use substances that are banned from elite sport – and there are significant cash bonuses available for those who produce “truly superhuman performance”.Organisers say the Enhanced Games will “move humanity forward” and “to redefine what mankind can be with audacity” – and to create “the next era of human potential”.They claim that Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev, who was fifth at the Paris 2024 Olympics, swam 20.89 seconds in a 50 metres freestyle time trial in the US in February.READ MORE ON SPORTThis is 0.02 seconds quicker than the world record set by Brazilian Cesar Cielo in 2009.Separately, the Bulgarian-born star swam 21.03 seconds “in jammers”, which was 0.01 seconds faster than American Caeleb Dressel’s 2019 mark.For “breaking two world records” and becoming the “fastest swimmer in history” he has received a £1million bonus but World Aquatics, the sport’s governing body, will not recognise his achievements.Their big goal is to find someone who can run faster than Jamaican sprinting sensation Usain Bolt, whose 100 metres world record time of 9.58 seconds, set in Berlin in 2009, stands as the benchmark of athletic endeavour.Most read in AthleticsBEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UKIf that happens, then the individual runner will earn $1million.At a glitzy launch in Las Vegas on Wednesday evening, president of the Enhanced Games Dr Aron D’Souza – an Australian entrepreneur and lawyer – said: “The world is hungry for something new.Fury after three-time Olympic swimming medallist is offered $1m to break records while ‘juiced to the gills’“A new vision of sport, of science and of human potential.“We are not just organising competition, we are in the business of unlocking human potential.“The idea came to life in 2022 during a moment of reflection where I found myself asking: ‘Why are athletes still bound by outdated rules that ignore everything we know about science?’“I imagined a new kind of competition where science, sport and society could evolve together. Where we stop apologising for progress, and start to embrace it.“A platform that celebrates human innovation, rewards excellence and explores enhancements openly, responsibly and ethically.“Make no mistake, in 50 years we’ll look back and realise that biology was never the ceiling.This is definitely not a free-for-all. It’s controlled, safe and athletes’ first.Maximilian Martin, Deputy president of the Enhanced Games“We will be faster, stronger, younger for longer and wonder why it took so long for society to catch up with science. The old rules didn’t just hold back athletes – they held back humanity.“We are the vanguard of super-humanity. This is disruption by design.”D’Souza says there will be a “performance enhancement protocol” where all athletes are enhanced “ethnically, safefully and above all, with great safety and effectiveness”.Two commissions – “one medical, one scientific” – will be established to assist coaches and athletes, whilst also developing and marketing “new drug compounds” for the American public to purchase.Las Vegas will stage the first Games on the Memorial Weekend of May 24-26, 2026 at Resorts World.Maximilian Martin, deputy president of the Enhanced Games, expects about 100 athletes to join next year, including finalists at the Paris Games and world-record holders.He said: “Our medical framework is built to the highest standards in sport.“The main difference to traditional testing is that we don’t make a decision for athletes which substances they can or cannot take – as long as it is inherent with the law.“We care about athletes’ safety and health while being at the peak level of athletic performance. This is definitely not a free-for-all. It’s controlled, safe and athletes’ first.”The idea behind the Enhanced Games has received widespread criticism for potentially endangering athletes’ health and undermining fair play.Anyone that signs up for the unprecedented concept will find that they cannot compete at the LA 2028 Olympics for their country or at the world championships in their respective sports.Speaking in Glasgow in February 2024, World Athletics chief Seb Coe – a two-time Olympic 1500 metres champion – said: “Well, it’s b******s isn’t it? I can’t really get excited about it.Read More on The Sun“There’s only one message, and that is if anybody is moronic enough to officially take part in it and they are in the traditional part of our sport, they’ll get banned for a long time.“But I really don’t get sleepless nights about it. It’s not going to be a page turner.” More