 "Explained: What are the Trump Jr-backed Enhanced Games, also known as the ‘drug-fuelled Olympics’?")
The host city and dates for the inaugural Enhanced Games will be announced on 21 May (22 May in India). The concept of Enhanced Games and the organisers have already courted controversy even before the launch of the Olympic-style sporting event due to their policy of allowing athletes to use performance-enhancing drugs.
The host city and dates for the inaugural Enhanced Games will be announced at 4 PM EST on 21 May (Wednesday), which will be 1.30 AM on 22 May (Thursday) in India.
Enhanced Games enjoys backing from Donald Trump
The Enhanced Game is currently headed by Australian billionaire Aron D’Souza, but it also has backing from Donald Trump Jr, who invested in the project in February this year. The US president Donald Trump’s son, Trump Jr, invested in Enhanced Games through his group, 1789 Capital.
The latest investment was announced with a video in which US president Trump revealed the partnership and said that “the impossible is what we do best.”
This makes it clear that the upcoming project has strong political backing in the US and the inaugural Enhanced Games are expected to take place next year. The host city/country is still not revealed, but most likely it could be in London, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro or Los Angeles.
What are Enhanced Games?
But what exactly is the Enhanced Games?
It’s an Olympic-style sporting event which will host track, swimming and other events, but there will be no anti-doping measures like the Olympics. Athletes will not only be permitted to dope, rather they will also be encouraged to use performance-enhancing drugs.
In other words, with the Enhanced Games, the organisers hope that an athlete will be able to explore their maximum physical limits and produce results that are unimaginable at the moment.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsD’Souza has also said that with Enhanced Games, which is being termed as drug-fuelled Olympics, he wants to help athletes extend their careers and improve their financial status. Before the Paris Olympics in 2024, he lamented the fact that athletes are forced to do odd jobs to pursue their passion.
“Excellence deserves to be rewarded. It is unfortunate that our Olympians earn so little,” D'Souza told the _BBC_ . “There are a lot of athletes who are going to compete at the Paris Olympics, including some of the top Team USA track and field athletes who have reached out to me.
“Because, let’s be honest, they’re flipping burgers to provide for themselves, and financially it just doesn’t work for them.
“So they’re very excited to compete at the Enhanced Games to make some real money and have an opportunity to grow their fame, to monetise and practise their sport in the three years that the Olympics won’t be happening.”
Enhanced Games prize money and criticism
The Enhanced Games if offering a lot of money to back its claims. Those breaking the existing world records at the inaugural event will receive a bonus of $250,000 (€222,385) per record and $1 million (€925,000) for surpassing the world records in the 50-metre freestyle and 100-metre sprint.
It has, however, attracted a lot of criticism from the traditional sporting bodies. World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said athletes taking part in the Enhanced Games will be banned.
“Well it’s bollocks, isn’t it?” Coe said while talking about the Enhanced Games.
“I can’t really get excited about it. There’s only one message and that is if anybody is moronic enough to feel that they want to take part in that, and they are from the traditional, philosophical end of our sport, they’ll get banned and they’ll get banned for a long time.”
While Coe’s frustration is understandable, the Enhanced Games, backed financially by D’Souza and Trump Jr, are poised for a memorable debut. The financial clout of its investors could also turn it into a highly successful venture.
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