The 2026 Enhanced Games were the inaugural edition Enhanced Games which took place on 24 May 2026 at Resorts World Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada, US. The event served as the debut for the organization's model and featured competitions across three core disciplines: athletics, swimming, and weightlifting.
Media outlets such as the Financial Times and the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported critics dubbed the event the "steroid Olympics". According to the MIT Technology Review in June 2026, the event served as a publicity stunt for their own range of performance enhancing products.
Venue The 2026 Enhanced Games were held in temporary, purpose-built $50 million open-air arena in the parking lot of Resorts World Las Vegas, Winchester, Nevada. The arena was constructed in 35 days and contained a six-lane 100m sprint track, a four-lane 50m pool, a weightlifting stage and a platform that could seat thousands of spectators. The arena was 26 meters tall and 76.5 meters wide. LED screens relayed the events to spectators in the arena, and they were also livestreamed to others watching via social media. Between events, advertisements were shown for performance products sold by Enhanced.
Sports Twenty-three eventshttps://app.enhanced.com/schedule were held in three sports:
2026 Enhanced Games
Participating countries Athletes from 24 countries competed at the 2026 Enhanced Games:https://app.enhanced.com/athletes
Participating countries (1) (1) (1) (2) (2) (1) (4) (1) (1) (1) (2) (2) (1) (1) (2) (2) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (2) (11) (host)
Athletes Forty two athletes competed at the 2026 Enhanced Games: CountryAthleteAgeSportCompeted using performance-enhancing drugsOlympics35SwimmingYes2012 ( ), 2016 ()32SwimmingYes2012, 2016, 2020, 202435SwimmingYes –34SwimmingYes2012, 201622SwimmingYes2020, 202432SwimmingYes2016, 2020, 202427SwimmingYes202431SwimmingYes2016, 2020, 2024 ()31AthleticsNo2020 (), 2024 () 33SwimmingYes202029WeightliftingYes2020, 2024 36WeightliftingYes2020, 2024 34AthleticsYes 202032SwimmingYes2016, 202041SwimmingYes2012, 202036SwimmingYes –27SwimmingYes 202435AthleticsYes2016, 2020, 202431WeightliftingYes 2012, 2016, 2020, 2024 34SwimmingYes2016 ( ) 29AthleticsYes –30AthleticsYes202037StrongmanYes –32AthleticsYes201632AthleticsYes –34AthleticsYes –28AthleticsYes2016, 202033AthleticsYes –39WeightliftingYes –32WeightliftingYes 202036WeightliftingYes2008 (), 201627WeightliftingYes –35WeightliftingYes2008 (), 2012, 201632AthleticsYes202030SwimmingYes –31SwimmingYes 202426SwimmingYes 202026AthleticsYes –30StrongmanYes –25SwimmingNo2020 (), 2024 ( )28AthleticsNo 2020, 202429WeightliftingYes –
Performance-enhancing substances used The drugs used in the 2026 Enhanced Games had to be on the US Food and Drug Administration list of legally approved substances, which includes muscle building substances like testosterone and anabolic steroids; substances that boost endurance, like human growth hormone and Erythropoietin (EPO); stimulants, like Adderall, that improve focus; and metabolic drugs, like meldonium, which alter how the body burns fat.
Enhanced made drug recommendations, but each athlete was free to choose what they took.
According to the Enhanced Games, 91% of the athletes who took performance-enhancing substances used testosterone or testosterone esters; 79% used human growth hormone; 62% used stimulants such as Adderall; 50% used metabolic modulators; 41% used Erythropoietin; and 29% used anabolic steroids.
According to strongman Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, he took testosterone, nandrolone decanoate, oxymetholone and fluoxymesterone. To compete, he said he had to stop taking methandrostenolone, trenbolone and boldenone undecylenate.
Cody Miller said he took, in the eight-week period leading up to the competition, testosterone, human growth hormone and oxandrolone.
Results The inaugural 2026 Games featured 42 athletes competing across athletics, swimming, weightlifting, and strongman events. Because the Enhanced Games operate outside the jurisdiction of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and traditional sporting federations, records broken at the event were not officially recognized by governing bodies such as World Athletics or World Aquatics.
The event offered substantial financial incentives, including a $250,000 base prize for event winners and a $1 million bonus for breaking officially recognized world records. Athletes were permitted to compete as "enhanced" or "non-enhanced" competitors. Both 100-meter sprint winners, Fred Kerley and Tristan Evelyn, claimed to have competed without the use of performance-enhancing drugs, even submitting to testing by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) ahead of the event to prove their natural status.
In analysis for CBC News, Morgan Campbell said many of the performances at the 2026 Enhanced Games would not have caused a "ripple in international competition".
Athletics Despite high expectations for record-breaking times, the track events were marred by multiple false starts and weaker-than-anticipated fields. Kerley won the men's 100-meter dash in 9.97 seconds, significantly slower than his personal best and the world record he had teased breaking. According to Morgan Campbell, most of the men competing "would have struggled against elite high schoolers". Mike Bryan's last-place time of 10.87 in the 100m "would have placed him fourth at the Toronto Catholic school board senior boys final" that year.
+ Athletics Results (Selected)EventWorld RecordFirst PlaceSecond PlaceThird Place Men's 100 m 9.58 9.97(non-enhanced) 10.05 10.39 Women's 100 m 10.49 11.25(non-enhanced) 11.43 11.48
Swimming The swimming events produced the Games' only world-record-beating performance. Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev finished the 50-meter freestyle in 20.81 seconds, undercutting the official world record of 20.88 set by Cameron McEvoy and earning the $1 million bonus. Megan Romano, aged 35, came second in the 50m freestyle using performance-enhancing substances, swimming faster than she had when competing at 22. Little-known swimmer Emily Barclay, who used performance-enhancing drugs, knocked 2 seconds off her personal best in the 100m freestyle, coming second. Conversely, former world champion James Magnussen, who was the first high-profile athlete to publicly sign onto the Games and pledge to use performance enhancers, flopped and finished last in the 100-meter freestyle final. In addition to the use of performance-enhancing drugs, swimmers were allowed to wear high-technology swimsuit designs, which were banned at World Aquatics events.
+ Swimming Results (Selected)EventWorld RecordFirst PlaceSecond PlaceThird Place Men's 50 m freestyle 20.88 20.81 UW 20.98 21.79 Men's 100 m freestyle 46.40 46.60 48.09(non-enhanced) 48.92 Men's 50 m backstroke 23.55 24.21(non-enhanced) 25.23 25.68 Men's 50 m breaststroke 25.95 26.55 (PB) 26.98 27.21 Men's 100 m breaststroke 56.88 59.47 59.61 1:01.94 Men's 50 m butterfly 22.27 22.32 (PB) 22.66 22.92 Men's 100 m butterfly 49.45 51.28 51.61 51.78 Women's 50 m freestyle 23.61 24.09 (PB) 24.55 25.12 Women's 100 m freestyle 51.71 54.20 54.67 55.70
Weightlifting and Strongman Weightlifting + Weightlifting Results (Selected) Event Class World Record Athlete Best result Women's Snatch 53 kg 99 kg N/A 86 kg 129 kg 100 kg 86+ kg 144 kg 115 kg Men's Snatch 79 kg 166 kg 135 kg 88 kg 181 kg 155 kg 94 kg 182 kg 177 kg 110 kg 196 kg 185 kg (PB) Women's Clean and Jerk 53 kg 126 kg 118 kg (PB) 86 kg 162 kg 140 kg 86+ kg 181 kg N/A Men's Clean and Jerk 79 kg 205 kg 170 kg 88 kg 220 kg N/A 94 kg 222 kg 188 kg 110 kg 237 kg 220 kg
Deadlift Strongman competitors Hafthor Bjornsson and Mitchell Hooper competed in a deadlift showdown. Both men attempted to break the all-time world record of 510 kg (1,124 lbs) by calling for 515 kg (1,135 lbs) on their final lifts. Bjornsson secured the victory based on his successful second attempt of 475 kg, though both men ultimately failed their world record attempts in the final round.
+ Deadlift Showdown ResultsAthleteAttempt 1Attempt 2Attempt 3Final Placement 425 kg (Success) 475 kg (Success) 515 kg (Fail) 1st 400 kg (Success) 440 kg (Success) 515 kg (Fail) 2nd
Personal bests According to the Enhanced Games, 13 competitors achieved 21 personal bests during the 2026 Enhanced Games. Personal bests were achieved by both athletes on performance-enhancing drugs and those competing drug-free. Personal bests included:
+ Personal bests (Selected) Athlete Event Personal best Men's 50m breaststroke 26.55 Men's 100m freestyle 46.60 Men's 50m freestyle 20.81 (UW) Women's 50m freestyle 24.09 Men's 50m fly 22.32 Women's Clean and Jerk (53 kg) 118 kg Men's Clean and Jerk (110 kg) 205 kg Men's Snatch (110 kg) 185 kg
Reactions After winning the men's 100m, Fred Kerley, who competed without taking performance-enhancing drugs, said of the other competitors, "Man, they need to do better than that. They need to work a little bit harder, get on that shit a little bit more". Tristan Evelyn, who won the women's 100m and was also drug free, said, "This proves that winning takes more than chemistry". In response to Kristian Gkolomeev beating the men's 50m freestyle swimming world record by 0.07 seconds while on performance-enhancing drugs and wearing a race suit banned by swimming authorities, Cameron McEvoy, the holder of the official world record, posted on social media, "Seriously?! That’s all you got!"
Mainstream media generally described the inaugural Enhanced Games as a flop. For The Guardian'''s Sean Ingle, the "performances were mostly mediocre" and the results were "underwhelming". Morgan Campbell, in analysis for CBC News, said many of the performances at the 2026 Enhanced Games would not have caused a "ripple in international competition". Campbell added that most of the men competing "would have struggled against elite high schoolers", commenting that Mike Bryan's last-place time of 10.87 in the 100m "would have placed him fourth at the Toronto Catholic school board senior boys final" that year. As events were won by athletes who hadn't taken performance-enhancing drugs, Matt Yoder of Awful Announcing said it raised the question of "what the entire point of this thing actually is". Results like these, said the Associated Press, "force questions about both the effectiveness of performance enhancers and the level of the athletes who signed onto the league".
Sean Ingle predicted the Enhanced Games would likely fail over the following five years because, "while its movers and shakers are rich and smart, they don't come across as caring deeply about sport". He said the intention of the Enhanced Games is to "persuade potential customers their products are safe and will change your life". Carlos Arribas, for El País, described the event as a "glittering commercial enterprise and a mediocre sporting contest" and wrote of the "sales platform that underpins the Enhanced Games. A trivialization of doping and its health risks". Vic Tafur, writing in the The New York Times, said the main focus of the event was business and the sale of supplements to viewers. "The Enhanced Games now seemed less like a sporting event and more like a loss leader for selling" supplements, wrote Amit Katwala for MIT Technology Review. Quoted in the MIT Technology Review, Astrid Kristine Bjørnebekk, a steroids expert from Oslo University Hospital, said, "The games themselves now seem almost secondary to what appears to be an online marketplace for hormones, peptides, and other performance-enhancing compounds". Simon Smale of ABC News said, "As a no-expense-spared advertising festival to promote a brand whose goal is to sell performance-enhancing drugs to wannabe biohackers, it worked".
Following the event, the Enhanced Group Inc. share price dropped by 70%.