Trump Jr.-endorsed 'steroid Olympics' to open in Las Vegas in 2026

Trump Jr.-endorsed 'steroid Olympics' to open in Las Vegas in 2026

The Enhanced Games — an explicitly pro-doping sporting event promoted as the "Olympics on steroids" — will debut in Las Vegas in May 2026, organizers said on Wednesday. The first-ever edition will take place at Resorts World Las Vegas and include swimming, track and field, and weightlifting competitions in which athletes can use performance-enhancing drugs under medical guidance, the Financial Times said

The provocative venture, spearheaded by Australian attorney Aron D'Souza, has the support of Donald Trump Jr., billionaire Peter Thiel, biotech investor Christian Angermayer, and former Andreessen Horowitz partner Balaji Srinivasan. It seeks to disrupt standard sports regulations by adopting what it refers to as "scientific transparency and choice."

“We live in a world transformed by science — from vaccines to AI. But sport has stood still,” said D’Souza, who once facilitated Thiel’s secretive lawsuit that brought down Gawker. “We’re embracing the full spectrum of human potential.”

Trump Jr. and MAGA movement behind the push

The Augmented Games have captured the attention of a portion of pro-Trump influencers and Silicon Valley futurists who share interests in biohacking, longevity medicine, and what they perceive as archaic limitations on human performance. Trump Jr.'s investment fund, 1789 Capital, invested in the games this year. "This is about excellence, innovation, and American dominance on the world stage," he wrote, connecting the games to MAGA values of disruption and exceptionalism.

The games are framed as a competitor to the International Olympic Committee model, one that D'Souza and other people have decried as too bureaucratic and anti-innovation. The Enhanced Games boasts that it is not just giving athletes freedom but prize money incentives—already giving Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev a $1 million prize for shattering the 50-metre freestyle record under its umbrella.

Health and ethics backlash

In spite of its finance and hype, the idea has precipitated fierce backlash from the international sporting establishment. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and its athlete council have denounced the Enhanced Games as "dangerous and reckless" with the warning that the competition puts athletes' health and well-being at risk.

"These games are a dangerous and reckless idea that ignores athletes' health and wellbeing," said Ryan Pini, chair of WADA's athlete council.

The backlash coincides with increasing criticism of anti-doping protocols themselves, with inconsistencies and high-profile stings like that which led to the disputed suspension of tennis sensation Jannik Sinner due to what many termed a faulty testing procedure cited as evidence. Such examples have been seized upon by Enhanced Games organisers to strengthen their argument that conventional anti-doping regimes are in disarray.

Beyond competition: a supplement empire

The games also intend to ride the wave of a developing biohacking and wellness economy by offering its own brand of performance supplements and "longevity enhancements." These will be offered through what organisers refer to as a "telehealth experience," catering to consumers who are looking to live longer and optimise their health on top of conventional sports training.

This combination of high-end athleticism, biotech promotion, and political ideology has put the Enhanced Games in the centre of controversy not just as an experiment in sports, but as a cultural focal point in questions about science, regulation, and human boundaries.

With less than a year to the first one, only time will tell if the "steroid Olympics" will reshape sport—or be a provocative exception defying the mainstream from the periphery.