The Enhanced Games, the first athletic event in which performance-enhancing drugs will be 100% allowed, has backing from a prominent member of the Trump family.
The brand announced on Thursday that Donald Trump Jr.’s 1789 Capital has co-led a multimillion-dollar Series B round for the Enhanced Games.
Dr. Aron D’Souza founded the event in 2023, and the immediate backlash has been strong. He has been told his idea is unsafe, unfair and a mockery of the real Olympics.
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Donald Trump Jr. and his eldest child, daughter, Kai Trump, arrive at the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol for the inauguration. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post via AP, Pool)
However, Trump now joins billionaire Peter Thiel, the co-founder of PayPal, among the high-net-worth individuals to invest in the games.
“For over 100 years, elites in charge of global sports have stifled innovation, crushed individual greatness, and refused to let athletes push the limits of what’s possible. That ends now,” Trump Jr. said in a statement. “The Enhanced Games represent the future – real competition, real freedom, and real records being smashed. This is about excellence, innovation, and American dominance on the world stage – something the MAGA movement is all about. The Enhanced Games are going to be huge, and I couldn’t be prouder to support this movement that is changing sports forever.”
Donald Trump Jr. arrives at the Republican National Convention, July 17, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Added D’Souza, “With these powerhouse investors, we’re building something revolutionary – sports without hypocrisy, where the best can actually be the best. Our investors see the future, and they’re backing it with conviction.”
Despite the criticism, D’Souza believes his event may be one of the safest in recent memory, as plenty of medical professionals will be on hand, and athletes will go through rigorous testing before they can compete.
“Ultimately, we have one shot to do this right, and if that has any health complications whatsoever, it would not only derail the company and movement we’re creating, but also the social change that we’re attempting to create here,” D’Souza said in an interview with Fox News Digital last year.
Donald Trump Jr. introduces U.S. Senate candidate Ted Budd at a campaign rally on Oct. 13, 2022, in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images)
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“Ultimately, what we are doing is heavily destigmatizing performance enhancements and I think unlocking the field of performance medicine, which leads to longevity and anti-aging technologies, and the giant publicity storm that we’ve gone through, there’s so much attention, we know the world’s eyes are on us – we know we have to do this right. We know the expectations are very, very high, and there’s a great prize well beyond the future of the Olympics if we do it right, so we have to do it right.”
It remains to be seen when the events will take place.
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