The “Enhanced Games”, which took place in Las Vegas from May 21–24, 2026, allow the use of performance-enhancing substances and technological equipment that are normally banned. They have been unanimously condemned by anti-doping authorities and have been the subject of fierce criticism, particularly in the media.

As part of the (French National Institute of Health and Medical Research) Inserm’s publication of a review of the current state of knowledge on doping, the scientists behind the project examined the Enhanced Games: where do they come from, and what do they entail? Beyond the prophecies of doom issued by the Cassandras, what consequences do they generate or could they produce? In what ways do they raise ethical issues, and if so, what kind of ethics are we talking about?

Where do the Enhanced Games come from?

The Enhanced Games draw inspiration from the arguments of Julian Savulescu, a professor of bioethics at the University of Oxford, who asserts that legalising doping would lead to fairer sport and better health for athletes (Savulescu et al., 2004). They are promoted by Aron D'Souza, an Australian lawyer and venture capitalist. He takes up and updates Savulescu’s arguments while criticising Olympic sport. He asserts that the fight against doping amounts to failure and that regulatory bodies, particularly the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), act in contradiction to the values they claim to uphold. Athletes, including those who are using performance-enhancing drugs, are portrayed as victims of an unjust and ineffective system.

To lend credibility to his cause, D'Souza reappropriates several values associated with the Olympic movement. In particular, he echoes the IOC’s rhetoric on the links between sport and health. Instead of depriving athletes of scientific and technological advances due to anti-doping regulations, he clearly states his intention to make them serve human enhancement. The latest medical advances would be used under the supervision of a “world-class” medical and scientific committee (Hoberman, 2026).

Through this disruptive mobilisation of science and technology, D'Souza asserts that he will not only improve athletes’ performance but also make sports safer for everyone. This strategy, which consists of neutralising critics by appropriating the values espoused by his detractors, can create some confusion and blur the lines. The narrative is structured around promises of progress and a better world through technoscience to serve performance and conquer new markets.

The purported support of science, however, does not stand up to scrutiny. D'Souza draws on Savulescu’s (2004) arguments to assert that most athletes are given an incentive to engage in doping within the context of Olympic sports. He fails, however, to mention that Savulescu relies on models developed by economists for an argument that lacks empirical foundation.

To further support the idea that the fight against doping has failed, he selects a few studies on the prevalence of doping and claims that 40 to 99% of athletes are doped. To this end, he cites a controversial study (Ulrich et al. 2018), conducted in 2011 against the backdrop of state-sponsored doping in Russia and an athletics federation led by a corrupt president (Ohl et al. 2021), to draw general conclusions, and does so by distorting certain figures in a manner that amounts to intellectual dishonesty.

According to D'Souza, the mobilisation of so-called “disruptive” sciences in the service of athletic performance aims “to build a superhumanity” and thus “change the world”. The political ambitions are clearly on display, as are their ties to the MAGA movement. Among the early investors is Peter Thiel, one of Donald Trump’s most loyal supporters among the billionaire financiers of the MAGA movement. He is joined by others close to the president, such as his son Donald Trump Jr. The promoters of the Enhanced Games also highlight their ties to Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a proponent of disruptive programs, such as testosterone replacement therapy, as part of an anti-aging program (AP News, February 13, 2025).

The strategy to discredit the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the IOC, key players in the fight against doping, is driven by the MAGA movement and its aversion to any regulation. Libertarian values align with the idea that participation in technoscientific experiments is a matter of individual choice and responsibility, which must not be curtailed by regulations from scientific institutions and their ethics committees.

For these apostles of the market and transactions, making the Enhanced Games a leading........

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