The first-ever Enhanced Games are scheduled for May 21-24, 2026, in Las Vegas, NV. The competition features a program similar to the Olympic Games, with the caveat that performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) are legal for athletes to use. This stance on PED use is in direct opposition to those of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and USA Weightlifting’s (USAW) position.
On Aug. 13, 2025, USAW CEO and President Matt Sicchio shared USAW’s views regarding the Enhanced Games, saying the competition is “actively recruiting weightlifters.” More specifically, USAW-affiliated athletes.
“Leaders within [weightlifting] have worked diligently for years to clean up the sport, reestablish trust in the results we see on the platform,” Sicchio wrote, likely referring, in part, to competitive weightlifting’s continuous battle against doping that has threatened its continuation on the Olympic program.
Weightlifting’s athlete quota was cut by 76 spots at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games due to the IOC’s frustrations with the International Weightlifting Federation’s (IWF) insufficient attempts to rid doping to WADA’s standards.
“We have worked too hard to rebuild trust around our sport to go backward now,” Sicchio continued. “Performance-enhancing drugs have no place in weightlifting.”
It could be argued that Sicchio’s view on PEDs, compared to the Enhanced Games’ view, is more targeted on the PEDs themselves rather than expected fairness under the rules of an agreed-upon governing body’s policy for competition.
“There are no shortcuts to the top,” Sicchio expressed, presumably suggesting that PEDs are a “shortcut,” even if athletes competing in the Enhanced Games can use them under equal circumstances.
Per the Enhanced Games rules, all PEDs used, including testosterone, growth hormone, and various anabolic steroids, must be legal and permitted to use within the U.S., approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and must be prescribed by a licensed doctor.
“The Enhanced Games are an unwelcome sideshow that threatens to take the sport of weightlifting backward, violates the spirit of true sport, and unnecessarily risks the long-term health and safety of athletes,” Sicchio concluded. He then encouraged athletes considering participating in the Enhanced Games to abstain due to an incompatibility with “core values.”
About the Enhanced Games
The Enhanced Games‘ mission is “to redefine superhumanity through science, innovation, and sports” by “pioneering a new era in athletic competition that embraces scientific advancements to push the boundaries of human performance.”
The Enhanced Games’ position is that PEDs can be “safely applied to sport,” and that their use should be “embraced and celebrated in elite competition.”
The inaugural Enhanced Games take place May 21-26, 2026, at Resorts World Las Vegas and will feature swimming, track and field, and weightlifting events.
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Featured image: @enhanced_games on Instagram
