Organisers of the Enhanced Games said on Wednesday they will offer a $10 million bonus to any athlete who breaks Usain Bolt’s long-standing 100 metres world record at their 2027 event, raising the stakes for the controversial competition that permits performance-enhancing substances.
The bonus would be awarded to the winner of the men’s 100m final if he runs faster than Bolt’s 9.58 seconds, set at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin and widely regarded as one of athletics’ most enduring records.
The announcement came after the inaugural Enhanced Games in Las Vegas on Sunday, where organisers said athletes produced one swimming “world record” and 21 personal bests.
Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev clocked 20.81 seconds in the 50m freestyle to earn a total payout of $1.5 million, which the company described as the largest single prize in swimming history. The performance will not be recognised by official governing bodies because the event operates outside World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) regulations.
The Enhanced Games allows athletes to use substances banned under conventional anti-doping rules, while swimmers are also permitted to wear polyurethane “super-suits” outlawed in 2010.
Chief Executive Maximilian Martin said in a shareholder letter that the debut event demonstrated the potential of “medically supervised enhancement protocols”, adding that all participants passed medical screening and left the competition healthy.
The company said it had secured more than $32 million in contracted sponsorship value and was already planning its 2027 edition, with endurance sports among the areas being considered for future expansion.
