A federal judge in New York dismissed the $800 million antitrust lawsuit brought by the Enhanced Games—the planned competition that will allow athletes to use performance-enhancing drugs—against the World Anti-Doping Agency, World Aquatics, and USA Swimming.
Enhanced Games filed the suit against the sporting bodies in August, claiming in a 73-page suit that they violated antitrust law by telling athletes and other members of their organizations they could not participate in the new Olympics-style competition. All three organizations publicly blasted the Enhanced Games, and World Aquatics, which oversees swimming’s Olympic pipeline, said it would ban people who “support, endorse, or participate” in them.
Several antitrust law experts had told Front Office Sports that the lawsuit could have legs by claiming an illegal group boycott. But U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman found Enhanced Games did not provide evidence for such an illegal group effort, and failed to state a claim on its counts. He dismissed the case and gave Enhanced Games thirty days to amend its complaint.
“We have received the judge’s order and, while disappointed with the ruling, will take the next thirty days to consider our response,” Enhanced Games spokesperson Chris Jones said in a statement to FOS. “Enhanced remains committed to providing athletes the choice to participate in the Enhanced Games to advance scientific discovery and explore the limits of human performance, while offering athletes financial opportunities they would otherwise not have access to.”
“WADA welcomes the decision by a federal court in the United States to dismiss an antitrust claim against the Agency, World Aquatics and USA Swimming brought by the organizers of the Enhanced Games,” the anti-doping organization said on Tuesday in a statement on social media. “WADA is pleased that common sense has prevailed and remains focused on its core mission of protecting clean sport for the good of athletes around the world.”
A representative for USA Swimming did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“World Aquatics welcomes the court’s decision to dismiss the case,” the governing body said in a statement. “Our focus remains firmly on the continuing development and sustainability of aquatic sports worldwide, from grassroots to emerging to elite levels, while continuing to deliver exceptional events and experiences for aquatics athletes.”
Enhanced Games is still marching forward toward its scheduled events in Las Vegas in May, which is open to athletes who are both clean and using performance-enhancing substances. Twelve athletes in swimming, track, and weightlighting have committed, most notably Olympic silver medalists Ben Proud, a British swimmer, and American sprinter Fred Kerley.
Scheduled for May 24, 2026, Enhanced Games says it will pay “top-tier appearance fees and outstanding, rank-based prize money,” according to its website. The competition is offering $250,000 if an athlete breaks a world record, and a $1,000,000 bonus if that record is in the 50-meter swimming freestyle or the 100-meter track sprint. The Enhanced Games, which had previously announced the competition would last four days, said in its August suit that its event “will have a potential prize purse of $7.5 million for just a single day of competition.”
