It's like the Olympics - except steroids are allowed

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. It's like the Olympics - except steroids are allowed2 hours ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleShaimaa Khalil and Regan Morrisin Las VegasBBCInside the Enhanced Games in Vegas Under the blazing Vegas sun, giant billboards advertise "Live Enhanced" as the baritone voice of a sports announcer pretends to introduce British swimmer Ben Proud and other athletes. The announcer is practicing at a new open air arena hosting one of the most controversial events in recent sporting history: the Enhanced Games. Think Olympics on steroids.

The inaugural competition on Sunday will feature dozens of elite athletes using performance-enhancing drugs to try and break world records in track, weightlifting and swimming. 6m) in prize money is up for grabs - with cash prizes for winners. World records in certain events, being eyed up by the likes of US sprinter Fred Kerley, pay a $1m (£740,000) bonus.

The Details

The drugs they use must be legal, and approved by the Federal Drug Administration. But substances like testosterone and human growth hormone - banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency - are not only celebrated here, they're encouraged and for sale. The project was founded by entrepreneurs Aron D'Souza and Maximilian Martin in 2023 and has attracted backing from prominent investors including billionaire Peter Thiel and Donald Trump Jr.

Health experts warn that anabolic steroids and growth hormones can cause strokes and cardiovascular damage, among other risks. Event organisers claim Enhanced will push the limits of human performance while critics, especially in the Olympic movement, dismiss it as an affront to the spirit and founding principles of competitive sport. 'We're being up front and honest'"You don't have to be pressured or use drugs in order to be the best," says Travis Tygart, CEO of the US Anti Doping Agency, USADA.

He tells the that while there are clear failures with the Olympics' anti-doping protocols, the answer is reforming the system, not to dope. Athletes, he says, need to be assured the Olympics are clean and cheats will not be tolerated. "We don't want kids to have to say, 'in order to win an Olympic medal, when I'm 18 or 20 years old, I have to inject myself every day in the rear end with a potentially dangerous drug.

What Experts Say

'"But Enhanced, the company behind the games, claims it is bringing out into the open what it says is an undercurrent of many athletes cheat and take performance-enhancing drugs in the shadows. /Getty ImagesUS sprinter Fred Kerley is among those involved in the Enhanced GamesPacked into a ballroom at Resorts World casino, Enhanced athletes answered media questions for two hours, but only one - strongman Hafthor Bjornsson who hopes to break his own deadlift record of 510 kg (1,124. 4 pounds) - would say which drugs he was taking.

Other athletes were tight lipped. Bjornsson, who played the Mountain in Game of Thrones, says he's open about his steroid use because it's accepted in the professional strongman world.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.