Enhanced Games begin May 24 in Las Vegas
- Enhanced Games opened on May 24 at Resorts World Las Vegas, launching a new competition that permits performance-enhancing drugs in swimming, track and weightlifting. - Fred Kerley, a 31-year-old U.S. sprinter, told AP he is “running clean” even as organizers advertised $250,000 event prizes and $1 million record bonuses. - Main event coverage begins at 9 p.m. ET on May 24, with streams on Roku, YouTube, Rumble, Twitch and Kick.
The Enhanced Games opened on Sunday, May 24, at Resorts World Las Vegas, putting a live audience in front of a competition built around a rule most major sports ban: athletes may use performance-enhancing drugs. Yahoo Sports said the inaugural event was staged in a 2,500-seat arena at the casino resort and featured swimming, track and weightlifting. The company behind the event said 40 athletes and 2,500 invite-only spectators were expected at a custom-built venue in Las Vegas. Organizers and coverage partners said the event would stream free across Roku, YouTube, Rumble, Twitch and Kick. ### What, exactly, is different about this meet? The Enhanced Games are defined by their drug policy. Yahoo Sports described the event as a first-of-its-kind Olympic-style competition that openly allows performance-enhancing drugs that are banned in conventional international sport. The official event site says both enhanced and non-enhanced athletes are competing, and frames the format as one built around “science, innovation, and measurable performance enhancement under regulated conditions.” (sports.yahoo.com) Sunday’s program was split into opening events and a main card. Yahoo’s viewing guide said weightlifting and swimming opened at 6:30 p.m. ET, followed by a musical performance before main event coverage at 9 p.m. ET. The same guide listed Roku Channel, YouTube, Rumble, Twitch and Kick as distribution platforms. (sports.yahoo.com) ### Which athletes are attached to the launch? Fred Kerley was among the best-known names tied to the opening event. AP reported from Las Vegas that Kerley said he was not taking performance enhancers as he entered the competition and that he still expected to compete at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Yahoo Sports separately identified Kerley as part of the field and said retired Australian swimmer James Magnussen was also featured in pre-event coverage. (sports.yahoo.com) Kerley’s position put one of the sharpest points on the event’s pitch. AP quoted him as saying he was “running clean” even while appearing at a meet whose central premise is that athletes may compete with pharmacological assistance. Yahoo said Kerley, 31, was due to race on May 24. (usnews.com) ### How much money is on the line? Prize money is a core part of the sales pitch to athletes. Yahoo Sports reported that some events carry payouts of as much as $1 million, while other coverage tied first-place winnings in individual events to $250,000. The official site says total athlete compensation for the Las Vegas meet reaches $25 million. (usnews.com) The Santa Fe New Mexican, citing the event structure, reported that winners can earn $250,000 and that some world-record performances can trigger $1 million bonuses. Yahoo’s earlier reporting also highlighted a $1 million offer tied to breaking the men’s 100-meter world record and the 50-meter freestyle mark. ### Where is it being held, and who can watch? (sports.yahoo.com) Resorts World Las Vegas is the venue for the first edition. Yahoo Sports said the meet was set inside a 2,500-seat arena at the property, while the official site described it as a custom-built competition complex for Memorial Day weekend. The event’s own materials said attendance was invite-only. (sports.yahoo.com) Sunday, May 24, is the opening date named across Yahoo’s coverage and the event’s official site. Main-event coverage begins at 9 p.m. ET, according to Yahoo’s viewing guide, with live streams available free on Roku, YouTube, Rumble, Twitch and Kick. (sports.yahoo.com)
