Extended Games: Did the controversial Las Vegas debut or sink, and what comes next? | Athletics news

Geraint Hughes

sports reporter

Enhanced Games allow athletes to use performance-enhancing substances without drug testing; Three British athletes – Ben Proud, Emily Barclay and Reece Prescod – took part; Only one official world record was improved in the men’s 50m freestyle by swimmer Kristian Gokolomiev of Greece.

Greek swimmer Kristian Gokolomiev is the only athlete to better an official world record in the men’s 50m freestyle.

The dust or perhaps the glitz and glamor of the Enhanced Games taking place in Las Vegas on Sunday night has settled a touch, has anything fundamentally changed what actually happened or will the Games be seen as a stand-alone event where people drown in curiosity?

Most of the public is curious, can anyone who has taken performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) beat legal world records, become super-human, become a new breed of athlete?

The Enhanced Games were perhaps a smaller affair than the organizers had imagined. They talked about the possibility of thousands of athletes competing in the Games a year or two ago.

As it happened, 42 athletes were given biographies on the official website. However, is that missing the point? Enhanced Games co-founder Christian Angermeier told me before the Games last week that he doesn’t discount any of the notoriety the Games have generated because it’s saved him millions, if not billions of dollars in marketing for the event, but he loves the publicity and isn’t going to interject.

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American Fred Curley won the 100 meters at the Enhanced Games in 9.97 seconds, a time that put him last at the Paris Olympics two years ago, where he ran 9.81 to win bronze.

It was always unlikely that thousands of athletes would derail their ‘Olympic dreams’ in order to receive bans from international sports to compete in the extended Games.

Yes, there was money on offer and probably a lot of money, but the prospect of Olympic gold was out the window so was and remains a concern for many athletes who are either peaking or aiming to be at Los Angeles 2028 or Brisbane 2032.

As many British athletes were on show, there were three: certainly for swimmer Ben Proud and sprinter Reece Prescod, whose careers were past their peak. They are officially retired. Many athletes from other countries have also retired or – and this is arguable – past their absolute best.

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World and European champion swimmer Ben Gorb says retiring from swimming to compete in the extended Games was too good an opportunity to pass up.

Some of the hype surrounding the Games suggested that world records would be broken throughout the event. As it was, just one official world record was surpassed. Swimmer Kristian Gokolomiev of Greece clocked 20.81 seconds in the men’s 50m freestyle, but his time will not be recognized by any official authority or record book, as the results of the Extended Games are null and void – illegal under international anti-doping rules.

Gokolomiev’s time was 0.07 seconds faster than Australian swimmer Cameron McEvoy’s set just two months earlier. Gkolomeev was allowed to take PEDs and wore a swimsuit so advanced it was not legal under international rules for pool facilities. McEvoy – the legal world record holder – took to social media after he saw Gokolomiev, posting: “Really?! That’s all you got!”

We understand that three athletes competed ‘clean’ and won their events. US sprinter Fred Kerley, who took 100m silver at Paris 2024, won the Enhanced Games men’s 100m, Tristan Evelyn won the women’s event, while US swimmer Hunter Armstrong won the 50m backstroke race in the pool. They all left Las Vegas $250,000 richer. A good weekend gamble perhaps?

Where do extended games go now though? It wasn’t quite as big as it felt. Yes, there was a lot of traction about a controversial event, but will that role play out in other versions? Will people be curious the second time around?

Christian Angermeyer

As for Angermayer, who is a very savvy businessman — well, he’s a billionaire and a great networker — I asked him just before the games started what’s next, how do advanced games evolve? He had no concrete plan to answer, but he expected the question.

“Everything went better than I ever dreamed. We have about 500 influencers and streamers blasting the games on social media,” he said.

“I want it to be all over social media. We have over 200 media outlets on the site, we have A-list celebrities, actors, singers, a bunch of other athletes, getting attention for the first time for an event that’s starting.

“It’s incredibly good and I’m going to make it.”

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Jane Rumble, chief executive of the UK Anti-Doping Agency, has criticized the extended Games, expressing her ‘disappointment’

How? We don’t know yet. For many in the fight for clean sport, such as various national anti-doping agencies around the world and many high-profile administrators and athletes in the sport, they will be glad the 2026 Advanced Games are over and gone.

UK Anti-Doping Chief Executive Dr Sky Sports: “I hope it goes well…”