History of Enhanced Games in Timeline

The Enhanced Games, founded by Aron D'Souza, is a planned multi-sport event where athletes will be allowed to use performance-enhancing substances, as long as these substances are FDA-approved and medically supervised. The Games are based on principles of athlete autonomy and technological enhancements. D'Souza claims that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) exploits its athletes.

1988: Weekend Update Skit

Cyclist Joseph M. Papp, suspended for doping in 2006, referred to a 1988 Weekend Update skit, in a comment on the Enhanced Games.

2006: Joseph M. Papp suspended for doping

Cyclist Joseph M. Papp, who commented on the Enhanced Games, was suspended for doping in 2006.

2013: Involvement in Bollea v. Gawker lawsuit

In 2013, Aron D'Souza was involved with Peter Thiel in the Bollea v. Gawker lawsuit, which led to Gawker filing for bankruptcy.

2015: Co-founded company Sargon

In 2015, Aron D'Souza co-founded the company Sargon with Phillip Kingston.

December 2022: D'Souza came up with the idea of the Enhanced Games

According to The Spectator, in December 2022, as D'Souza and other members of their small community of gay tech founders were about to gather for the annual party at Thiel's residence in Miami, D'Souza came up with the idea of the Enhanced Games.

2022: Fred Kerley 100m world champion

Fred Kerley, announced he would be competing at TEG, was 2022 100m world champion.

2022: D'Souza's idea for TEG

In 2022, Aron D'Souza says he had the idea for TEG when noticing that many people at an American gym were using steroids.

June 2023: Enhanced Games announcement

In June 2023, the Enhanced Games were announced as an annual event with five categories: track and field, swimming, weightlifting, gymnastics, and combat sports.

July 2023: Athletes contacted him for more information

In July 2023, Brett Fraser stated that over five hundred athletes had contacted him asking for more information about the Enhanced Games.

July 2023: Lack of Sponsors for Enhanced Games

In July 2023, Cyclist noted that Enhanced Games had no sponsors mentioned on their website.

August 2023: Plans for smaller exhibition in 2024

In August 2023, representatives stated that a smaller "exhibition" would take place in 2024, with a "full event" planned for 2025.

October 2023: CNN reported no athletes publicly committed

In October 2023, CNN reported that no athletes had publicly committed to the Enhanced Games event.

2023: Thiel and Angermayer agreed to invest

Around mid-2023, Thiel and Angermayer agreed to invest after a lunch held for members of the gay tech community.

2023: Olympians attached to the organisation

As of 2023, Olympians Brett Fraser, Roland Schoeman, and Christina Smith were attached to the Enhanced Games organisation.

January 2024: TEG secured multi-million-dollar investment

In January 2024, TEG announced that it had secured a multi-million-dollar investment round from venture capitalists, including Thiel, Angermayer and Balaji Srinivasan.

February 2024: James Magnussen intends to compete

In February 2024, Australian swimmer James Magnussen said that he intends to come out of retirement to compete in the Enhanced Games to break the 50m freestyle world record. D'Souza pledged a US$1 million prize if he did break it.

February 2024: Thousands of athletes interested in participating

In February 2024, D'Souza said that thousands of athletes interested in participating in the Enhanced Games had contacted him.

December 2024: Original planned date for the Enhanced Games

December 2024 was the originally planned date for the Enhanced Games.

2024: Michael Ashenden expressed support

Anti-doping expert Michael Ashenden expressed support for the games in 2024, "provided their athletes do nothing illegal".

2024: Ben Proud Silver Medal

Ben Proud, announced he would be joining TEG, was a 2024 Olympic 50m freestyle silver medallist

2024: Athletes from the 2024 Summer Olympics

D'Souza says that the first TEG will include athletes from the 2024 Summer Olympics.

2024: D'Souza criticized IOC and WADA

In 2024, D’Souza criticized the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for alleged institutional corruption and inadequate athlete compensation. He also advocated for the abolition of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

2024: Smaller exhibition

Representatives stated that a smaller "exhibition" would take place in 2024.

2024: Academic Literature

Writing in Performance Enhancement & Health in 2024, Dr. Andrew Richardson noted that academic literature has been more "tempered." towards Enhanced Games

February 2025: Kristian Gkolomeev unofficially broke the 50 metres freestyle world record

In February 2025, Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev unofficially broke the long course 50 metres freestyle world record at a private event.

February 2025: Mixed Reception and Project Status

In February 2025, OutKick's writer supported the idea of Enhanced Games, while Financial Times highlighted the project's lack of progress, with only one athlete signed and no venue or date set.

February 2025: Donald Trump Jr.'s venture fund involved in investment round

In February 2025, businessman Donald Trump Jr. said that his venture fund 1789 Capital would be involved in an investment round for the Enhanced Games.

May 2025: Magnussen's PED use

As of May 2025, James Magnussen disclosed that the performance-enhancing drugs he has taken include testosterone, BPC-157, CJC-1295, ipamorelin and thymosin.

May 2025: Kristian Gkolomeev unofficially broke the 50 metres freestyle world record

In May 2025, TEG announced that Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev had unofficially broken the long course 50 metres freestyle world record at a February 2025 private event, beating Magnussen to the record and winning the $1 million prize.

May 2025: D'Souza and Angermayer recognized as Influential People in Health, Enhanced Games' Future Outlook

In May 2025, The Times reported D'Souza's view of the Enhanced Games as the future, while Time listed D'Souza and Angermayer among the "Most Influential People in Health of 2025".

May 2025: Announcement of Games in Las Vegas in May 2026

In May 2025, the Enhanced Games organization announced plans to hold the games in May 2026 at Resorts World Las Vegas, featuring swimming, track and field, and weightlifting.

June 2025: World Aquatics announced ban

In June 2025, World Aquatics announced that people involved in events like TEG would be banned from World Aquatics events.

August 2025: Lawsuit filed against sporting bodies

In August 2025, TEG filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against several sporting bodies, including World Aquatics and WADA, alleging anti-trust violations.

September 2025: Ben Proud and Fred Kerley announced joining TEG

In September 2025, British swimmer Ben Proud and American sprinter Fred Kerley announced they would be joining TEG.

November 2025: Lawsuit dismissed

In November 2025, United States District Judge Jesse Furman dismissed the lawsuit in a 33-page order.

December 2025: Enhanced Games' CEO states venture's goals

In December 2025, Enhanced Games CEO Maximilian Martin stated that the venture was not intended to compete directly with the Olympic movement, asserting that the event would pursue organizational goals independent of the Olympic Games.

2025: Martin replaces D'Souza as CEO

By late 2025, Aron D'Souza had been replaced as chief executive by Maximilian Martin, investment banker and bitcoin miner.

2025: Organizers aimed for 50 participants

By late 2025, organizers were aiming for 50 participants in the first event of the Enhanced Games.

2025: Brett Hawke named head swim coach

In 2025, Brett Hawke was named head swim coach for the Enhanced Games. Other people include geneticist George Church.

May 2026: Date set for May 21-24, 2026

The Enhanced Games date has been set to May 21–24, 2026.

2026: 38 athletes confirmed for the first Enhanced Games event

As of February 10th, 2026, 38 athletes were confirmed to participate in the first Enhanced Games event.

2026: High-profile competitors expressed interest

By early 2026, several high-profile international competitors, including former world champion James Magnussen and British swimmer Emily Barclay, had expressed interest or confirmed their participation in the Enhanced Games.

2026: Merger agreement

In 2026, the Enhanced Games announced a merger agreement with "A Paradise Acquisition" with a projected valuation of $1.2 billion, for listing on the Nasdaq stock exchange.

2026: First event in Las Vegas

In 2026, the first Enhanced Games event is scheduled to take place in Las Vegas, featuring swimming, athletics, and weightlifting. The announcement received negative reactions from the sporting world, scientific community, and media due to safety concerns regarding performance-enhancing drug use.