Sawt Falasteen - Enhanced Games: the 'Steroid Olympics' hit Las Vegas

Either a bold exploration of the upper limits of human capability and technology, or a dangerous circus created to peddle dubious "biohacking" supplements to viewers, depending on who you ask, the wildly controversial event has generated countless column inches before a single race has been run.

It has the deep-pocketed backing of a "Make America Great Again" crowd including Donald Trump Jr and billionaire Peter Thiel, plus Middle Eastern financiers.

Bona fide Olympic medalists like US sprinter Fred Kerley and British swimmer Ben Proud have been lured to take part with potentially life-changing prize money.

Anyone who beats a world record will take home a $1 million prize, while winners at the 2,500-seater arena at Las Vegas casino Resorts World will each receive a $250,000 jackpot.

But since they were first mooted in 2023, the Enhanced Games have been slammed by organizations like the World Anti-Doping Agency, whose chief Witold Banka said the "dangerous" event "must be stopped."

World Aquatics has banned anyone who takes part from returning to its events, while World Athletics president Sebastian Coe has simply called the whole thing "bollocks."

- 'Game-changing' -

Some 42 athletes will participate in the Enhanced Games. Events include a 100-meter sprint, freestyle and butterfly swim races, snatch and clean-and-jerk weightlifting, and strongman deadlifts.

Most competitors are current or recently retired athletes who achieved remarkable success in "clean" sport but could have never dreamt of the payouts on offer in Las Vegas.

Former Irish Olympic swimmer Max McCusker's interest was piqued when he was approached by a former teammate, and learnt he could win prize money totaling 25 times more than the $10,000 he estimates that he grossed "in my whole swimming career."

He has spent the past four months in Abu Dhabi, where doctors administered substances including anabolic steroids, testosterone and human growth hormone to athletes, all while meticulously tracking their bodies' response via biomarkers.

The results in training have been "nuts," he told AFP.

"This is just game-changing," said McCusker, who said his body fat has nearly halved to 6.4 percent, and reported that he is "swimming faster times than I was pre-Olympics" despite having retired from swimming for a year after Paris 2024.

"There's definitely going to be some records that drop," he predicted.

- 'Wild West' -

The exact combination of drugs taken by each athlete has not been revealed. A handful are competing clean.

Organizers say only substances approved by the US Food and Drug Administration have been administered, and the process is overseen by an independent medical board.

But University of Birmingham sport science professor Ian Boardley says that, while biomarker measurements can help mitigate short-term acute harm, the long-term risks of the substances being used are almost totally unknown.

"They are putting themselves at risk of life-shortening and fatal consequences," including danger of heart issues, liver and kidney damage and cognitive decline, from anabolic steroids alone, he told AFP.

Testosterone use can trigger dependency and depression, while many peptides are a "wild West" about which even less is known, said Boardley.

Athletes have been told they will be tested and monitored long-term, though, and McCusker sounded sanguine about the chance of negative effects down the line.

"Is there a chance? Yeah, there could be a chance. But we're doing everything to mitigate these chances," he said. "There's a chance if you drink too much caffeine there could be something wrong with you."

And, in any case, "Do I think the Olympics is clean? Hell no. Sport is not clean," he added.

- 'Different age' -

The competitions will be viewable online, including on Roku and YouTube.

No traditional broadcaster has been announced -- but organizers are not relying on a lucrative TV deal to make a return on their investment.

The Games' website is already selling a range of supplements including peptides and testosterone, offering customers a chance to get "Enhanced" themselves.

It is part of the broader "biohacking" trend that seeks strength and longevity gains from experimental treatments, beloved by Silicon Valley tech bros and now becoming mainstream.

US health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr is pushing to deregulate a wide range of peptides.

Boardley warns that the public is "receiving very strong messages that this is something that can be done safely, which is what we really push back against."

But for McCusker, "we're living in a different age."

"People want to see more excitement. People want to see faster times," he said. "And people want to see people break the world record and have sick bodies and stuff like that."

K.AbuTaha--SF-PST