Inaugural Enhanced Games opens May 24 at Resorts World Las Vegas

The Enhanced Games opened on Sunday, May 24, at Resorts World Las Vegas, launching a sports event that permits the use of performance-enhancing drugs under its own rules. Yahoo Sports and the event’s organizers said the inaugural competition was staged in a 2,500-seat arena and featured athletes from swimming, track and weightlifting. The event has drawn attention for its prize money, its broadcast push and its break with standard anti-doping rules. It has also drawn criticism from anti-doping officials, medical experts and some athletes, while participants and organizers have defended it as a regulated alternative to what they say already happens in elite sport. ### Where and when did the event begin? Resorts World Las Vegas hosted the competition on Sunday, May 24, with organizers describing it as the first Enhanced Games. The company’s official site said the event would bring together about 40 elite athletes and 2,500 invite-only spectators in a custom-built venue. Yahoo Sports reported the same location and seating figure in its event guide. The official event material said the program began on Memorial Day weekend, and a separate schedule page tied the broader Las Vegas program to May 21-24. (sports.yahoo.com) Yahoo Sports’ coverage focused on the main competition day of May 24. ### What sports and athletes were listed? Yahoo Sports said the event program included swimming, athletics and weightlifting, with athletes such as sprinter Fred Kerley and swimmer James Magnussen named in pre-event coverage. (enhanced.com) NPR said dozens of athletes, including former Olympians, were set to compete in Las Vegas. AOL’s event guide said 42 athletes were expected to take part. (enhanced-games.eu) Fred Kerley, a U.S. sprinter and Olympic medalist, said he would compete while not using performance enhancers himself. The Associated Press, in a report carried by U.S. News and Yahoo Sports, said Kerley told reporters he was “running clean” and still expected to compete at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. (sports.yahoo.com) ### How is the event different from the Olympics or other meets? The Enhanced Games allow athletes to use substances that are banned in Olympic and most international competition. Yahoo Sports described it as a new event where athletes are allowed to take performance-enhancing drugs that are illegal in official competitions. The BBC said the concept had been promoted as a science-driven alternative to traditional sport, but noted the controversy surrounding that approach. (usnews.com) Enhanced, the company behind the event, said both enhanced and non-enhanced athletes could compete and that performances would occur under what it called regulated conditions. That claim is the core argument from organizers; critics cited by BBC and NPR said the format risks normalizing drug use and could endanger athletes. ### What money and viewing details were announced? Yahoo Sports published schedule, prize-money and viewing details ahead of Sunday’s competition. (sports.yahoo.com) The official Enhanced site said the event would stream live on May 24 and promoted a free broadcast window beginning in the afternoon in Las Vegas. Radio Times and Yahoo Sports both reported Roku distribution for U.S. viewers, with additional online streaming options. (enhanced.com) Organizers also advertised large bonuses for standout results. Enhanced’s promotional material and outside event guides said selected world-record performances could trigger a $1 million payout, a figure that became a central part of the event’s marketing. ### Why has the event become so controversial? The BBC described the meet as combining “big names, big money and much controversy,” and NPR said the event had become a flashpoint because it openly permits drug use. (sports.yahoo.com) Critics cited in those reports argued that the model could undermine anti-doping efforts and create pressure on athletes to use substances to remain competitive. Athletes and organizers have pushed back on that criticism. (enhanced.com) Kerley said he was competing clean despite the rules, and organizers have said their model brings performance enhancement into an environment they describe as supervised rather than hidden. That dispute over safety, fairness and spectacle is likely to remain central as results from Las Vegas circulate after Sunday’s opening competition. (usnews.com) (bbc.co.uk)