[James] Magnussen, a triple Olympic medalist and world champion in the 100-meter freestyle, had been retired from professional sports for six years. But he had restarted his career to join the Enhanced Games, a kind of Olympics on steroids. This is meant literally: The event, which encourages athletes to take performance-enhancing drugs, is scheduled for May 2026 in Las Vegas.
Its founder, Aron D’Souza, is a slick-talking Peter Thiel acolyte who believes throwing off the shackles of drug testing can help push humanity to the next level. Enhanced, the company behind the Games, has secured millions from Thiel, Donald Trump Jr.’s 1789 Capital, and others, and praise from the likes of Joe Rogan.
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…[German biotech billionaire Christian] Angermayer had seen an article about Enhanced in the German press and wanted to come on board as a cofounder.
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Enhanced began finalizing a deal to host the Games in Las Vegas not long after the election. “A hundred percent the reason they’re happening in the US is because Trump won,” says Angermayer. A few months later, he secured investment from 1789 Capital, Donald Trump Jr.’s investment firm, and Enhanced would find itself ideally positioned to align itself with RFK Jr.’s crusade to “Make America Healthy Again.” (“He takes enhancements himself,” D’Souza says of Kennedy. “He is very pro–human enhancement.”)
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In May, Enhanced held…an “Apple-style launch event” at Resorts World, a sprawling hotel and casino complex in Las Vegas, where it would announce the date and venue of the first Enhanced Games.
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[In] the following days USA Swimming sent a letter to athletes warning them against competing…The World Anti Doping Agency is calling on the US authorities to shut down the Games.
