Enhanced Games has made significant progress, revealing the location, date and competitions to feature in its first event.
The Enhanced Games, where athletes are free to take banned, performance-enhancing drugs, has named Las Vegas as the host city for the first event in 2026.
Unveiled during a presentation on May 22, Aron D’Souza, Founder and President of Enhanced Games, explained the organiser was looking for a city which embraced the future of science, sport and culture before unveiling Las Vegas.
“Time has always measured human progress, but in sport, it stood still. When science transformed medicine, longevity and our everyday lives, sport refused to move. Today we break that stillness… Where better to break records than the city that never watches the clock?” D’Souza said.
“I couldn’t be prouder to do this in Las Vegas, the world stage for elite sport and entertainment and the ideal home for advancing super humanity.”
The event will be held at Resorts World from May 21-24, featuring competitions in swimming, athletics and weightlifting.
A documentary shown at the presentation provided a glimpse into the event’s potential, focusing on the Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev, who will be competing in next year’s Enhanced Games.
The media showed Gkolomeev completed a 50m freestyle in 20.89 seconds, beating the current world record by 0.02 seconds. The current record is held by American Olympian Caeleb Dressel.
Although critics have questioned the feasibility of the games, raising concerns over doping regulations and finding athletes to compete, the announcement solidified the Enhanced Games’ reality.
A missing piece to the puzzle
One critical aspect still unresolved is how the games will be broadcast to viewers at home.
Maximilian Martin, Deputy President of Enhanced Games, was asked about their approach to broadcasting.
“We’re going to broadcast the games in a way that will blow people’s minds. We want to make sure people fully understand the level of performance they can witness at the games,” he said.
“The traditional way of broadcasting swimming, athletics and weightlifting has been the same for decades. It is not designed for a digital experience in the 21st century. What we want to do is bring our fans an experience of the games on the platforms they are used to and the format they enjoy.”
Martin’s answer suggests the Enhanced Games are more attracted to streaming platforms rather than traditional broadcast partners. However, finding a streaming platform to broadcast the event could prove challenging.
The open promotion and use of performance-enhancing drugs could lead to streaming partners entering discussions with caution. Additionally, broadcast partners of events like the Olympics might hesitate to get involved, fearing it could upset existing deals.
Nevertheless, the entertainment potential of the Enhanced Games cannot be underestimated. As demonstrated by the documentary, world records are likely to be shattered and partnering with the event early may be a long-term plan for success.
There is also the factor of the unknown. Global sports fans will want to see the first event to form their own opinions around a topic which has been heavily criticised. Additionally, this criticism will also generate viewership.
If the Enhanced Games fail to find a partner, another option could be direct digital broadcasting. Other emerging sports have successfully leveraged YouTube to increase exposure. Notably, the Premier Padel P1 finals were streamed on Cristiano Ronaldo’s channel in February.
