Las Vegas To Host Inaugural Enhanced Games In 2026: Press Conference Live Recap

The Enhanced Games will announce the dates and location of its inaugural edition on Wednesday afternoon in Las Vegas, with some other news, such as athletes involved, expected to be revealed as well.

Earlier in the day, Brett Hawke, who has announced himself as the head swim coach of the Games, posted a video of Kristian Gkolomeev going under the world record in the men’s 50 freestyle in a time of 20.89, reportedly done during filming for a documentary about the Games. The video has since been set to private.

The release of the video confirms Gkolomeev’s participation in the Games, joining Australian Olympic medalist James Magnussen, who was the first well-known athlete to declare his intention to be involved.

Below, we’ll track all of the news broken at the press conference, which begins at 1 p.m. local time in Vegas (PT) and 4 p.m. ET.

Watch the live stream here:

LIVE UPDATES

• Las Vegas is announced as the initial host of the Enhanced Games, scheduled for Memorial Day weekend 2026 at Resorts World Las Vegas. The dates would be May 23-25, 2026.
• Enhanced Games founder Aron D’Souza announces a “Performance Enhancement Protocol” with two independent commissions, one medical and one scientific, that will help guide athletes to safely and effectively take PEDs.
• D’Souza announces “Enhanced Performance Products,” a consumer product line open to the general public. “This will be the embodiment of Enhanced’s core mission: to inspire humanity with the belief that we can all overcome our limits and become superhuman, safely with the right medical supervision,” D’Souza said.
• “Today is about sport, but it’s also about much more than that. It’s about choice, it’s about freedom, and it’s about unlocking the next chapter of human potential, not just for athletes, but for everyone. From elite competition to everyday enhancement, we’re building the foundation for a healthier, stronger, longer future, one built on science, safety, and self-determination,” he said.
• Enhanced Games Deputy President Maximilian Martin says the Games are said to be set up for speed, with a four-lane pool and six-lane track mentioned in the press conference.
• Martin says athletes will receive appearance fees from the Enhanced Games, along with a prize pool for performances at each competition.
• A $1 million award will go to new world records in the 50-meter freestyle and the 100-meter dash, and $250,000 will be awarded for all other world records.
• The press conference shows a feature video of Kristian Gkolomeev and Brett Hawke in the lead-up to him going 20.89 in the 50 free, under the existing world record of 20.91. He does that in a super-suit, which have been banned since January 1, 2010.
• It then shows Gkolomeev clock 21.03 in the 50 free wearing a jammer, under Caeleb Dressel‘s mark of 21.04 which stands as the fastest textile swim ever.
• Read more on that, and watch the race and a 61-minute documentary, here.
• Gkolomeev, appearing on stage, says that in his 20.89 swim, he was only two weeks into taking performance-enhancing drugs and weighed 203 pounds. In the second attempt with the jammer, he was two months into taking PEDs and had gained 10 pounds of muscle.