Shane Ryan Added to Enhanced Games Roster as TEG Comes into Focus

• Ireland’s Shane Ryan is the latest addition to the Enhanced Games roster.
• There are a total of nine athletes on the TEG roster, with eight swimmers leading the way.
• Ryan says that “this thing isn’t going away”, meaning TEG could actually happen in May 2026.

Irish swimmer Shane Ryan has committed to The Enhanced Games, scheduled to happen in May 2026. Ryan claims that he wasn’t making enough money to continue swimming at events like the Olympics.

There are now nine athletes committed to TEG, and Ryan is steadfast that the event will go down in Las Vegas.

Ryan Doesn’t Care What Others Think, Says, “People’s Opinions Aren’t Going to Pay Me”

Ryan is open about his agreement to join TEG, saying it’s just for the money.

“My whole 20s I gave to Ireland. Olympic athletes train so hard all their lives, and they just don’t get paid.

At the end of the day, people’s opinions aren’t going to pay me. They’re not going to help me set up my future.”

Ryan was actually born and raised in Pennsylvania, but represented Ireland at the 2016, 2020, and 2024 Olympics in swimming. However, he has recently retired and would like to buy a house in Pennsylvania.

Ryan’s move to TEG has been condemned by Irish sporting figures, as has the entire event. In June, the World Anti-Doping Agency and the International Olympic Committee asked the United States to cancel the event. TEG responded by suing its critics, saying it was an “illegal campaign” to convince athletes to join the competition, which encourages drug use. 

Ryan is now one of nine athletes officially committed to TEG.

With More Athletes, It Seems Like TEG is Closer to Fruition

Ryan is one of eight swimmers to join TEG, which means you’ll definitely see the Enhanced Games odds for that event, at least. Maximilian Martin, co-founder of the Games, says that there are more athletes signed up, including their weightlifting athletes, but they’re holding off until closer to the event.

TEG could actually happen. One of the high-profile backers is Donald Trump Jr., the son of the American president. You can bet that Trump Jr. will use his father’s political power to push this event through in May 2026 in Las Vegas.

TEG is also offering $500,000 to the winner of each event, with $1 million added if world records are broken. The records likely wouldn’t be acknowledged by the world’s biggest athletic governing bodies, but the TEG founders aren’t worried about that.

The athletes aren’t, either. Ryan raises a good point: Olympic athletes don’t get paid a lot. The lure of a massive payday is definitely enticing, and it seems like the Enhanced Games are coming closer to reality than anyone realistically expected!