Key Takeaways
- • The Enhanced Games, a proposed multi-sport competition that will not test athletes for performance-enhancing drugs, announced it has raised an undisclosed amount in a "multi-million dollar round" from investors including Peter Thiel and former Coinbase CTO Balaji Srinivasan.
- • The organization describes itself as self-funded and positions itself against taxpayer support for the Olympic Movement, citing the high cost of hosting the Olympics.
- • The Enhanced Games promises athlete safety screening including electrocardiograms, blood tests and genomic sequencing, while acknowledging risks such as heart issues, vision problems and heatstroke.
- • Liability exposure and athlete health risks are central concerns raised by the project's model, according to the original report.
Summary
The Enhanced Games, which describes itself as the "Olympics of the future," has announced that it raised an undisclosed sum in a "multi-million dollar round" from a group of venture investors. According to the organization's press release, backers include Silicon Valley investor Peter Thiel and ex-Coinbase chief technology officer Balaji Srinivasan. The source report, published by Futurism, notes that the project is positioned as a self-funded alternative to the Olympics, drawing support from private wealth rather than taxpayer dollars.
The organization's website criticizes the Olympic Movement as wasteful and "anti-science," citing the large cost of hosting the Games. It argues that the Olympics ignores humanity's long history of performance-enhancing substances, pointing to Roman gladiators who used "stimulants and hallucinogens" as an example. While the press release does not specifically mention steroids or human growth hormone, Futurism reports that such substances appear to be implied. The release also states that athletes will undergo rigorous testing for safety, which the organization says includes electrocardiograms, blood tests and genomic sequencing.
The report stresses that these safety protocols do not eliminate the risks of performance drug use, including heart issues, vision problems and heatstroke. It also flags liability as a likely concern. The article acknowledges that Olympic athletes often lack compensation and that many already use performance drugs covertly, but argues that the Enhanced Games is an imperfect vehicle for addressing those problems. The funding amount, investor terms and the event's launch timeline were not disclosed in the source material.
The organization's website criticizes the Olympic Movement as wasteful and "anti-science," citing the large cost of hosting the Games. It argues that the Olympics ignores humanity's long history of performance-enhancing substances, pointing to Roman gladiators who used "stimulants and hallucinogens" as an example. While the press release does not specifically mention steroids or human growth hormone, Futurism reports that such substances appear to be implied. The release also states that athletes will undergo rigorous testing for safety, which the organization says includes electrocardiograms, blood tests and genomic sequencing.
The report stresses that these safety protocols do not eliminate the risks of performance drug use, including heart issues, vision problems and heatstroke. It also flags liability as a likely concern. The article acknowledges that Olympic athletes often lack compensation and that many already use performance drugs covertly, but argues that the Enhanced Games is an imperfect vehicle for addressing those problems. The funding amount, investor terms and the event's launch timeline were not disclosed in the source material.
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