There’s an alternative Olympics where everyone’s on performing enhancing drugs.

You might remember James Magnussen as "The Missile" — the golden boy of Australian swimming in the early 2010s. 

He first burst onto the international stage at the 2011 World Championships, where he became the first Australian to win the men's 100m freestyle world title since Olympic champion, Michael Klim. At the 2012 London Olympics, Magnussen was Australia's best shot at gold. And while he narrowly missed the top of the podium—taking home silver in the 100m freestyle—he became a household name back home.

Tall, confident, and incredibly fast in the pool, Magnussen was once the face of clean elite sport. But more than a decade on from his Olympic peak, the now-34-year-old is making headlines for a very different reason.

Watch: Enhanced Games For Doping Athletes. Article continues after the video.

He's back in the pool. But this time, he's doing it on performance-enhancing drugs — and he's doing it for a possible million-dollar payday.

Magnussen is the first major athlete to sign on for the Enhanced Games, a controversial new sporting competition that allows — and even encourages — competitors to use usually-banned substances to push their bodies beyond natural limits. 

He's previously said he aims to break the 50m freestyle world record while "juicing to the gills." He's said he's openly taking substances like testosterone and peptides, and packing on 20kg of muscle in preparation.

"I feel 18 again," he told LADbible. "I feel fantastic."

Set to debut in Las Vegas in May 2026, the Enhanced Games are flipping the script on anti-doping rules by embracing pharmaceutical enhancement. 

The controversial event was created by Australian business person Aron D'Souza, and has been financially backed by billionaire Peter Thiel and Donald Trump Jr, the son of the US President. 

Athletes will be allowed to take legal performance-enhancing substances, provided they are taken safely and prescribed by a licensed doctor. This includes drugs such as testosterone and anabolic steroids, but illicit drugs, such as cocaine or heroin, will be banned.  

For Magnussen, who's already retired from traditional competition, it's a chance to go out on his own terms — and maybe cash in.

But the competition has also raised serious questions about health risks, about ethics, and the ripple effect on other athletes, anti-doping regulators, and elite sporting events generally.  

James Magnussen will be competing at the Enhanced Games. Image: Getty.

"Substantial physical and psychosocial risks."

Dr Tim Piatkowski, from Griffith University's Centre for Mental Health, said steroids are associated with substantial physical and psychosocial risks. 

"Ranging from physical, for example, hypertension, reproductive issues, blood-borne virus transmission and infections, to psychosocial, such as depression and suicidal ideation," he said. 

"These risks are amplified when people use mislabelled or unregulated steroids. We have a booming illicit steroid market and regulated products remove some of the harm."

While the Enhanced Games are marketed as medically supervised and data-driven, some of the substances being used — like BPC-157 and ipamorelin — aren't FDA approved.

"These substances are in different stages of clinical trials and we do not have confidence in their long-term health risks," Dr Piatkowski said.

The fact is, though, these risks aren't stopping athletes — or the broader community — from experimenting. 

"People in the community use these substances to great success and have done so for many years, forming a web of 'ethnopharmacological' knowledge. We need to legitimise and elevate that knowledge more."

What is 'stacking' and is it risky?

Another concern is stacking — when multiple drugs are used together to amplify results. That's where things can get dangerous.

"Polypharmacy is common and, yes, may lead to increased risk," Dr Piatkowski said.

"For example, using androgens puts you at risk of cardiomyopathy. Concurrent use of clenbuterol (a beta-2 agonist) also increases stress on heart valves, so may have a cumulative effect in this process."

The risks escalate further when illicit substances are added to the mix. 

"Polysubstance use amplifies all of these risks even further, and people who use PEDs/steroids do use high proportions of other drugs."

Dr Tim Piatkowski says the Enhanced Games reflect society's changing views. Image: supplied.

The ripple effect.

The Enhanced Games don't just challenge the boundaries of the human body — they're challenging the boundaries of ethics too.

"As sport and entertainment merge in global businesses, traditional notions of fair competition are becoming less stable, and the differentiation between 'clean' athletes and 'cheats' is increasingly blurred," Dr Piatkowski said.

"Emerging events like The Enhanced Games, which advocate for unrestricted performance enhancement, reflect how these changing views are gaining traction, pushing the boundaries of what is considered fair competition and questioning long-standing anti-doping norms."

With athletes like Magnussen going public about drug use — and looking visibly stronger for it — what message does this send to young or amateur athletes?

"This is dependent on how we respond as a society," Dr Piatkowski said. 

"We have online social influencers selling PEDs all the time. We need appropriate and balanced health education and harm-reduction programs. Prevention or 'putting off' use among young men is particularly important."

The Enhanced Games argue that drug use can be safe, if it's medically managed. But, can it?

"Under medical supervision and with regulated use, there is a substantial decrease in PED-related harms," Dr Piatkowski said.

But regulation alone isn't enough. Dr Piatkowski believes organisers must take responsibility for athlete welfare.

"They should, to the best of their ability, employ evidence-based practices. Further research and scaling is required with considered implementation that truly puts health and social wellbeing at the forefront."

Events like the Enhanced Games also throw a curveball at organisations like the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA), that are still working under old models of anti-doping enforcement.

"Anti-doping policies are struggling to keep pace with evolving approaches in elite sport, where experimental treatments are becoming mainstream," Dr Piatkowski said. 

"As yesterday's controversies turn into accepted practices, perceptions of risk, reward and safety are shifting, influencing attitudes and behaviours beyond elite sport."

The key, says Dr Piatkowski, is for policy to reflect reality. 

"We need more considered drug and anti-doping policies which align with the 'real world'."

"I, for one, look forward to further considered and collaborative approaches between TEG and other organisations. This is an exciting opportunity to revisit our ways of knowing and responding to this issue."

What's actually happening at the Enhance Games?

The first-ever event is set to kick off with three main sports: swimming, track, and weightlifting. Think 50m and 100m freestyle, butterfly events, 100m sprints, hurdles, and classic lifts like the snatch and clean and jerk. But there are a few twists.

For starters, there won't be separate races for men and women. Instead, athletes will compete based on their chromosomes, so there will be an "XX" and an "XY" category for each event.

Winners will walk away with up to $250,000 per event, with a $1 million bonus for anyone who breaks the 100m sprint or 50m freestyle world records. Other records will net competitors an extra $250,000.

The event will take place from May 21 to 24, 2026, at Resorts World Las Vegas, located on the iconic Las Vegas Strip. 

Feature image: Getty.