The Enhanced Games mirror the Olympics, but with a pivotal twist: athletes have the freedom to use performance-enhancing drugs during the competitions.
“The race for superhumanity is on,” Dr. Aron D’souza, founder of the Enhanced Games said.
Believing that using sports enhancement unlocked human potential, D’souza founded the Enhanced Games to explore the limits of the human body.
The first games will be held in late 2025 with thousands of athletes participating.
The main goal of the games is to test the limits of human potential.
One of the main concerns of this project is the safety of the athletes, but the organization is making well-being their top priority.
Dr. Dan Turner, The Director of Athlete Safety for the games, mandates comprehensive health screening, including cardiac and brain checks, along with genomic sequencing. These thorough tests ensure that athletes are fit to safely compete.
As with any sport, injury risks persist, but organizers are prepared to address any incidents swiftly.
While controversial, the Enhanced Games emphasize athlete health through rigorous screenings, contrasting with the Olympics’ focus on drug testing.
Dr. D’souza bans the use of drugs that cause irreversible body changes, as well as drugs that are addictive, ensuring controlled enhancement methods.
He also allows drugs that enhance speed, strength and endurance, as well as drugs that accelerate recovery from injury and illnesses.
“We encourage the use of performance enhancements, under the appropriate medical safeguards,” Dr. D’souza said. “This is our opportunity to evolve humanity, by demonstrating what the human body is truly capable of.”
Financial incentives also set the Enhanced Games apart, with all participants paid, unlike the Olympics, where only medalists earn rewards.
The Enhanced Games backed by investors like venture capitalist Peter Thiel, Christian Angermayer and Balaji Srinivasan, allowing them to pay all competitors.
The Enhanced Games present a competitive alternative to the Olympics, drawing interest with their unique compensation model
Yet many students at Van Nuys disagree with the concept of the Enhanced Games, viewing them as unnecessary and potentially harmful.
“I think that the Enhanced Games is just really stupid,” junior softball and basketball player Angalina Volpe said. “You should never just ruin your body for a sport.”
Volpe also believes it ultimately harms the athletes.
“It would not be fair to the athletes because they will not be able to show off their actual ability in their sport,” he said.
Furthermore, nature may give certain athletes an advantage, skewing the outcomes..
“Some athletes who participate in these games would benefit from the use of drugs more than others because of genetics,” junior baseball player Benjamin Rumball said. “It would give some people a better chance at winning because they may have more strength and speed than others.”
The abridged version of this article appeared in the Fall 2024 print edition. This is an uncut version.