Enhanced Games CEO confident of other sports following suit to allow doping
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Reading Time: 3min | Tue. 23.12.25. | 16:36
Organisers have so far confirmed 21 athletes and expect the number to rise to around 50 by the time the Games begin
Enhanced Games CEO Maximilian Martin has expressed confidence that other sports will eventually adopt a similar approach to allow doping, despite mounting criticism over athlete health and the integrity of the competition.
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The controversial Enhanced Games, which openly permit athletes to use performance-enhancing substances banned in mainstream sport, are set to make their debut in Las Vegas in May 2026, with organisers confident the concept will eventually reshape global sport.
The inaugural event will feature swimming, sprinting and weightlifting, and has already attracted high-profile names including three-time world champion sprinter Fred Kerley and British Olympic silver medalist swimmer Ben Proud.
Organisers have so far confirmed 21 athletes and expect the number to rise to around 50 by the time the Games begin.
Despite widespread criticism, Martin insisted the Enhanced Games will prove sceptics wrong.
The competition has drawn strong condemnation from sporting bodies and medical experts, who argue that allowing doping poses serious health risks and undermines the integrity of sport.
Organisers, however, claim athlete welfare will be prioritised through strict medical supervision and long-term health monitoring for up to five years after competition.
Martin argued that this approach is safer than the current anti-doping model, which he describes as punitive rather than protective.
“A few institutions think we are bad, OK, I get it. But after the first Games, the public and existing institutions will be thinking very, very differently about us.
They will see that no one exploded, no one had a heart attack while competing. It is just not happening,” the 29-year-old CEO said told BBC Sport.
Those assurances have been challenged by medical research. A University of Birmingham paper has highlighted the largely unknown long-term effects of many performance-enhancing drugs, warning of increased risks of heart attacks, cardiovascular damage and mental health complications.
Undeterred, the Enhanced Games are pressing ahead with expansion plans.
An Abu Dhabi-based training facility is being established to allow athletes to prepare under supervised doping programs, while future ambitions include a biannual winter edition and one-off events aimed at breaking world records.
Martin has also revealed plans to branch into other disciplines, including triathlon, with the long-term vision of showcasing a doped athlete completing an Ironman-distance race in a record-shattering time.
“Long term, I fundamentally think that other sports leagues will follow our approach. Changing from a punitive testing system to one that is focused on the athletes’ health and safety to compete,” he offered.
The project has not been without setbacks. Last July, World Aquatics banned anyone associated with the Enhanced Games from its events.
An $800 million lawsuit filed by the Games failed to overturn the decision in a New York court.
Founder Aron D’Souza also stepped down as CEO, leaving Martin, a 29-year-old former investment banker, to lead the venture forward.
Still, Martin insisted the Games will go ahead as planned.
“In terms of our ability to deliver the Games from a sporting perspective at the highest standards? I have full confidence in that,” he said.
The business model behind the Games centres on promoting supervised medication and supplement programs to the athletes. To maximise exposure, the inaugural event will be streamed for free on YouTube, while the 2,500 tickets for the Las Vegas venue will be given away at no cost.
While positioning the Enhanced Games as a radical alternative, Martin was keen to distance the project from the Olympic movement, expressing admiration for the traditional system.
“I also love the Olympic system. I went to Paris last year; it was one of the best sporting events I’ve ever been to.
The Olympics should always stay the way that it is… We are just very, very different. Each of us is pursuing our own goals in our own right,” he concluded.
