WADA, IOC Want United States to Cancel Enhanced Games

• The Enhanced Games is scheduled to be held in May 2026 in Las Vegas, and it will allow athletes to use performance-enhancing drugs during competition.
• The World Anti-Doping Agency, which works with the Olympics to stamp out drug use among athletes, is trying to pressure the United States into cancelling the event.
• One organization, swimming’s World Aquatics, said it would ban athletes participating in the event.

The Enhanced Games is a competition set to be held in May 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event is similar to the Olympics, with one major twist. Athletes are allowed, and even encouraged, to use performance-enhancing drugs.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), with help from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is trying to persuade the appropriate bodies to stop the competition from happening. One organization is even threatening to ban athletes who take part in the competition.

IOC Joins WADA in Condemning Enhanced Games, World Aquatics will Ban Athletes

In May, the Enhanced Games announced its plans to hold the competition in Las Vegas.

Aron D’Souza, who founded the Games, said:

"We are here to move humanity forward….The old rules didn't just hold back athletes, they held back humanity."

However, on Tuesday, WADA, along with the International Olympic Committee, released a statement:

WADA president Witold Banka claims:

"This initiative seeks to normalize the use of potentially dangerous drugs. For the sake of athlete health and the purity of sport, of course, it must be stopped."

World Aquatics, which is the governing body of swimming, said that they would ban any athletes that take part in the Enhanced Games. This is also all under the shadow of the Olympics, which will be held in the United States in 2028.

Can You Bet on the Enhanced Games?

If the Enhanced Games do power through in 2026, you’ll be able to bet on it at online sportsbooks such as BetUS. There were odds up for the event up to recently, but online sportsbooks are likely waiting to see what happens to it on the legislative front.

Keep an eye out for the Enhanced Games odds, and we’ll also keep you posted as we’ll be following this story closely. One athlete is already competing with PEDs as Greece’s Kristian Gkolomeev, who competed in four Olympics, broke the 50-meter freestyle record. World Aquatics had nothing to do with the event.

It’s going to be very intriguing to see how this goes. The concept is obviously receiving a lot of resistance, but that’s not to say it won’t go through. Banka also said that it would be “very embarrassing” for the United States to host this, especially as the Olympics will be in Los Angeles in 2028. But one of the companies that will supply athletes with PEDs is supposed by Donald Trump Jr., the son of the president.

We’ll definitely be observing this story in the future, as it could change the path of sports!