Shania Collins Embraces Enhanced Games Debut as $50 Million Las Vegas Event Permits PEDs
Updated
Updated · ESPN · May 23
Shania Collins Embraces Enhanced Games Debut as $50 Million Las Vegas Event Permits PEDs
2 articles · Updated · ESPN · May 23
Las Vegas hosts the inaugural Enhanced Games on May 24, with former U.S. champion Shania Collins set to race after months of medically supervised steroid use in Abu Dhabi.
Six-figure pay and prize money drew Collins away from a pending DEA career, while the startup says athletes can use FDA-approved substances if they pass medical screening instead of drug tests.
Enhanced expects to spend more than $50 million on the launch; 36 of 42 athletes joined its five-year trial, with 91% using testosterone and 79% human growth hormone during training camp.
Founder-backed investors say the meet can normalize supervised PED use and feed a telehealth drug business, but medical and ethics critics argue the safety data are weak and the project misunderstands sport.
When a game's business model is selling the drugs used, can athlete health ever truly be the top priority?
If enhanced athletes shatter world records, what is the new meaning of human achievement in sports?
The Enhanced Games 2026: Inside the $25 Million Controversy Over Legalized Doping in Elite Sports
Overview
The Enhanced Games, launching May 24, 2026, in Las Vegas, mark a bold and controversial shift in sports by openly allowing athletes to use FDA-approved performance-enhancing drugs under strict medical supervision. This event brings together around fifty elite competitors, including Olympic medalists, to compete in disciplines like swimming, track and field, and weightlifting. The Games aim to challenge public perceptions about PEDs, offering substantial financial rewards and positioning themselves as a spectacle that redefines human athletic achievement. By embracing enhancement and transparency, the founders hope to spark debate about the future of sports and the role of science in pushing human limits.