Platforming Performance Enhancing Drugs: How Social Media is Used to Promote the Enhanced Games

The Enhanced Games (TEG’s) is a sporting event that allows performance-enhancing drug (PED) use under medical supervision. Founder of TEG's, Aron D’Souza, presents the Games as a progressive alternative to the current Olympic model and the anti-doping norms enforced by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). This study uses a qualitative media discourse analysis of thirteen YouTube videos (June 2023–April 2024) to examine how D’Souza uses social media to destabilise anti-doping support, legitimise PED use and justify TEG’s. Drawing upon French and Raven’s social power theory, we position and critically examine such claims. Six core claims are identified: doping is already widespread; athletes deserve bodily autonomy; the Therapeutic Use Exemption system is abused; unsupervised doping is dangerous; stigma around PED’s harm athletes; and aging is a treatable disease. D’Souza blends expert, referent, informational, and legitimate power to frame PED use as ethical and innovative. We raise concern that the TEG’s are driving a broader cultural shift toward medically supervised optimisation across social media, requiring critical engagement between public health, harm-reduction and anti-doping bodies.