Enhanced Games Founder Claims 43% of Olympians Use PEDs, Doubles Down on Support for Juiced Athletes
The debate around the Enhanced Games is only getting stronger, after co-founder Christian Angermayer claimed that nearly half of Olympic athletes are already using performance-enhancing drugs behind the scenes. In a recent interview clip shared by RXMuscle, Angermayer spoke with Larry Wheels and referenced internal research allegedly showing that 43% of Olympians use PEDs in some form.
That claim immediately sparked controversy across the bodybuilding and fitness world, especially given the source. Angermayer is one of the public faces behind the Enhanced Games, the controversial competition openly promoting medically supervised PED use as the future of sports.
Angermayer doubled down on his belief that PEDs are the future:
“Many doctors we work with say that doping tests are IQ tests. You just need to know which substances to take, how to circumvent them, how to mask them.”
Still, the timing is notable. Just days after the inaugural Enhanced Games wrapped in Las Vegas, critics and supporters alike are debating whether the event actually proved anything at all.
Enhanced Games Revealed Massive PED Usage Data
One of the biggest talking points surrounding the event came from data released by the organization itself.
The Enhanced Games released aggregate statistics showing just how widespread PED use was among competitors, saying 91-percent used testosterone, 79-percent used human growth hormone, and about a third of athletes used anabolic steroids.
Those numbers fueled exactly the kind of conversation the Enhanced Games wanted to create: normalizing enhancement as part of elite athletic performance.
But the actual athletic results told a more complicated story.
Only One Major Record Fell Despite Massive Hype
The Enhanced Games entered Las Vegas promising a revolution in sports performance.
Organizers openly talked about athletes pushing beyond the limits of conventional competition. There was discussion about breaking world records, redefining human potential, and proving what athletes could achieve with modern science and enhancement protocols.
Instead, only one major world-record performance emerged from the event.
Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev swam 20.81 seconds in the 50-meter freestyle, narrowly surpassing the previous mark and earning a reported $1 million bonus.
Outside of that, many headline athletes failed to produce the historic performances the event had heavily promoted.
Former Australian swimming star James Magnussen fell short of expectations despite openly embracing enhancement protocols. Sprinter Fred Kerley also failed to approach Usain Bolt’s legendary 100m world record.
Some critics even pointed out that several “clean” athletes managed to outperform enhanced competitors during portions of the event.
That disconnect has become central to the backlash.
Critics Say The Enhanced Games Felt More Like Marketing Than Sport
The criticism surrounding the event has intensified in the days following the competition.
Several media outlets described the event as underwhelming compared to the enormous promises made beforehand. Reports noted low attendance, a heavy influencer-style presentation, and growing questions about whether the Games were more focused on selling the idea of enhancement than creating compelling sports competition.
There are also ongoing concerns from anti-doping organizations and medical experts.
WADA warned the event could encourage younger athletes to experiment with dangerous PED combinations while underestimating long-term health risks.
Even within bodybuilding circles, where PED conversations are often more open and realistic than in mainstream sports, many fans have approached the Enhanced Games with caution.
Bodybuilding has long existed in a complicated gray area regarding enhancement. But openly building an entire sports league around PED usage is still a dramatic leap, especially when the actual competitive results did not overwhelmingly support the idea that enhancement alone creates superhuman performances.
That’s why Angermayer’s “43% of Olympians” claim is likely to continue drawing scrutiny.
Without independently verified data, many critics view statements like these as part of a broader attempt to legitimize and market the Enhanced Games movement rather than definitive proof of widespread Olympic doping.
Featured image via Instagram @enhanced_games
