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FIFA World Cup 2026 scheduleWhy the Enhanced Games is nothing more than marketing
Joanna Guelas, AAP • June 10th, 2026 5:49 pm
Cameron McEvoy believes the Enhanced Games will soon be forgotten by the sports world | Photo: Jono Searle/AAP
Australian swim star Cameron McEvoy has deemed the Enhanced Games as nothing more than a marketing ploy the sports world will soon forget.
World record-holder McEvoy was one of the strongest critics of the now-largely panned pro-doping multi-sport event staged in Las Vegas last month.
Only one record - McEvoy's 50m freestyle benchmark of 20.88 seconds - was bettered at the Games, with Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev clocking 20.81 seconds.
Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev bettered Cameron McEvoy's 50m freestyle time at the Enhanced Games | Photo: AP
But the time will not count because he took banned substances and was wearing a race suit long banned by swimming authorities.
Gkolomeev also won the 100m freestyle, while Australia's James Magnussen finished last out of four swimmers in the two races.
In response, McEvoy, who broke the official 50m world record in March, posted on social media a meme of British chef Gordon Ramsay screaming "Seriously?! That's all you got!".
The 32-year-old is vying for a Commonwealth Games spot at Australia's swim trials in Sydney, competing in Wednesday's 50m freestyle.
"I was expecting faster, but again, it's like someone putting fins on and doing a 50 freestyle," McEvoy said of the Enhanced Games.
"Like, it's an exhibition swim, very much outside the scope that is regular sport, and deemed as sport.
"It is marketing, so to speak, in the end.
"One thing I am disappointed in is that there was an erosion of public confidence in the response to the 'enhanced' results.
World record-holder Cameron McEvoy is looking to secure a Commonwealth Games berth in Sydney | Photo: Jono Searle/AAP
"It brought in a lot of views, it dominated the algorithm for a little bit of time, but largely, the world of sport will move on."
McEvoy said the one silver lining of the pro-doping event was how it brought a spotlight on financial prizes for Olympic medallists.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Kirsty Coventry had lit a fuse just days after the Games, declaring she didn't believe in awarding cash bonuses for medals.
The pro-doping Enhanced Games had offered a total prize pool of $US25 million ($NZ43 million), dangling carrots of $US250,000 for event winners and a $US1 million bonus for breaking official world records.
Olympic and Commonwealth Games medals aren't financially compensated by the IOC, but Australia does have a medal incentive fund.
"I hope that momentum doesn't fizzle away," McEvoy said in Sydney.
"The timing of certain comments wasn't exactly the best, but I think short-term, it wasn't exactly the best, but I think that they were perfectly timed in a sense of balance."
