In the scorching heat of Nevada, Canadian weightlifter Boady Santavy attempts to lift a 183-kilogram barbell. If he breaks the world record, he will receive a $250,000 prize. Santavy is one of 42 athletes gathered in Las Vegas over Memorial Day weekend. However, this is no ordinary competition; it is the Enhanced Games, where almost all participants use performance-enhancing drugs, or doping. This is reported by Techcrunch.com reports .
Dubbed the "Steroid Olympics" by critics, this event casts aside all rules in the sports world. Athletes have taken anabolics, testosterone, peptides, and growth hormones under medical supervision. Before the competition, participants spent 12 weeks at a special base in the United Arab Emirates training with doctors to develop their individual "protocols" or drug cocktails.
Behind this bizarre spectacle stands Silicon Valley. The Enhanced Games project was organized by experts in cryptocurrency, AI, and biotechnology, and is backed by major investors like Peter Thiel and former Coinbase executive Balaji Srinivasan. This is part of the tech world's growing interest in the "human enhancement" industry.
Traditional sports organizations are outraged by this initiative. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has called these games "dangerous." US Anti-Doping Agency head Travis Tygart described it as a "mockery" that prioritizes profit over human health. Nevertheless, organizers are attempting to redefine the boundaries of sports by promising up to $1 million to athletes who break world records.
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