The Enhanced Video games, a weird, steroid-fueled Olympics knock-off that’s being funded by rich MAGA varieties, is formally occurring. The unconventional sports activities pageant—which, as its title proudly suggests, will permit contestants to make use of performance-enhancing medicine—will happen in 2026 in Las Vegas over Memorial Day weekend, organizers introduced on Wednesday.
The inaugural pageant (which, relying on whether or not this one leads to some form of authorized motion, might also be the final) will contain competitions in swimming, weight lifting, and monitor and area, organizers introduced. Thus far, a small variety of former Olympic swimmers have introduced their intentions to take part. Apart from that, it’s unclear precisely who might be competing within the match. The group’s web site presently features a submission portal the place athletes can apply to compete.
Enhanced Video games describes itself as “the final word demonstration of what the human physique is able to,” although a extra correct description would most likely be the “final demonstration of what the human physique is able to while you shoot it full of medication.” Enhanced claims that its overtly drug-fueled method will really be safer than conventional sporting festivals as a result of, whereas doping usually takes place in conventional sporting competitions, it happens secretly, maybe growing its threat. Enhanced’s method will permit the doping course of to happen transparently, underneath the watchful eye of well being professionals, making it safer, organizers cause.
“We goal to ship the most secure sporting occasion in historical past by setting a brand new business gold customary for athlete well being assessments,” the pageant’s web site claims. “With a purpose to assess well being dangers, and provides athletes an knowledgeable image of their well being, we’re introducing a mandated state-of-the-art pre-competition full-system medical profiling, which is able to assist monitor cardiac dangers, amongst different key well being markers.” Detailed details about what that profiling and monitoring will appear to be hasn’t been launched by the group but.
One other means through which Enhanced differs from competitions just like the Olympics is the diploma to which it plans to compensate contestants. Whereas the Olympics usually solely compensate the winners of sure competitions (within the U.S., medalists usually solely get someplace between $15k and $25k), Enhanced’s web site claims that each one “athletes competing within the Enhanced Video games might be paid, with those that set new enhanced world data eligible for million-dollar prizes.” The location provides that “the primary athletes to set new world data for the 100m Dash and the 50m Freestyle will obtain a million {dollars} (USD $1,000,000).” Provided that it is a competitors organized by mega-capitalists, this tracks.
Enhanced is essentially being funded by 1789 Capital, a enterprise capital agency that was based by Donald Trump Jr., in addition to MAGA banking magnate Omeed Malick and tech accelerationist Chris Buskirk. Nonetheless, unique funding for Enhanced Video games was offered by a lot of rich donors, together with tech magnate Peter Thiel and his acolyte former Andreessen Horowitz basic companion and “Community State” prophet Balaji Srinivasan. Christian Angermayer, one other enterprise capitalist, can be a pivotal funder.
“The Enhanced Video games are difficult conventional sports activities paradigms by embracing science, innovation, and equity, to create the Third Olympiad – a brand new period of athletic excellence,” a current press launch from the 1789 Capital claims. “This landmark funding injection underscores the momentum and international perception within the Enhanced Video games’ imaginative and prescient.”
Aron D’Souza, the president and founding father of Enhanced, additionally not too long ago criticized the Olympics, claiming they had been “a illustration of the previous” and had been “rooted in historic Greece.” He added: “They have this amateurish, pure ethos that’s run by a bunch of European aristocrats. The Enhanced Video games are very completely different. They’re run by capitalists, who consider sooner or later, consider in science and know-how.”
