The chief executive of the controversial Enhanced Games has defended the upcoming Las Vegas event, arguing that a regulated environment for performance-enhancing drugs could ultimately be safer than current elite sport.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of the inaugural competition, CEO Maximilian Martin rejected criticism from established sporting authorities, including the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which have condemned the concept as a dangerous normalisation of doping.

Martin claimed that strict prohibition has driven athletes to use performance-enhancing substances in secret, often without medical supervision, increasing health risks.

He argued that by legalising and regulating such substances within a controlled competition framework, the Enhanced Games would bring existing underground practices into a monitored clinical setting, thereby improving athlete safety.He suggested that current anti-doping rules do not eliminate drug use but instead push it into unregulated environments.The CEO also framed the project as part of a broader shift in how society views human performance and medicine.Rather than focusing solely on treating illness, he said science could be used to push physical and biological limits under proper supervision.

To illustrate his vision, Martin compared the idea to Formula One racing, where innovations developed in elite, high-performance environments eventually influence mainstream consumer technology.

Despite widespread criticism and concerns from traditional sports bodies, organisers of the Enhanced Games insist the event represents a forward-looking approach to athletic performance.Scheduled to take place in Las Vegas, the competition will feature athletes using permitted performance-enhancing substances under medical oversight.Critics, however, continue to argue that the format undermines the integrity of sport and could encourage unsafe experimentation.

The debate surrounding the event highlights a growing tension between conventional anti-doping frameworks and emerging movements advocating for regulated enhancement in sport.