What if breaking world records came with a six-figure bonus and no drug tests? That’s the provocative premise behind the Enhanced Games, a controversial new sporting event set to launch next year in Las Vegas. Promising athletes prize money of up to half a million dollars per event and boasting a lineup of Olympians-turned-rebels, the event markets itself as a revolutionary alternative to what it calls the “failing” Olympic system. But not everyone sees it as bold progress. To some, it’s a ticking time bomb for global sport.

While the Enhanced Games attempts to dress itself in the language of innovation, it’s drawing outrage from the very institutions that govern sports ethics. Chief among them is the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which has delivered a scathing assessment of the event. “If you want to destroy any concept of fair play and fair competition in sport, this would be a good way to do it,” WADA spokesman James Fitzgerald said.

He didn’t mince words, calling the Enhanced Games a “dangerous and irresponsible concept” that threatens the integrity of international sport. “WADA condemns the Enhanced Games as a dangerous and irresponsible concept and is very concerned about its emergence,” Fitzgerald further added. This isn’t just another alternative league trying to stand out. It’s a calculated revolt against the rules that have shaped global competition for decades.