​  ByDan RoanSports editorOn the neon-clad Strip in Las Vegas – a city known for pushing boundaries in the pursuit of entertainment and profit – one of the most controversial events in sports history is about to take centre stage.Featuring athletes who have taken performance-boosting drugs banned in mainstream competition, the inaugural Enhanced Games will finally happen this weekend, provoking both dismay and intrigue.For the many critics, ‘Sin City’ provides a fitting backdrop to what they see as a disturbing spectacle, one which they say normalises doping, undermines the long fight against cheating and risks the health of those taking part.Those behind the so-called ‘Steroid Olympics’ insist the event will reward athletic excellence, celebrate scientific innovation and explore human potential.So what forces lie behind the Enhanced Games? Is it a sign of things to come? And what questions is it forcing sport – and wider society – to confront?Image source, BBC SportThree months have passed since a group of about 40 Enhanced Games athletes representing sprinting, swimming and weightlifting gathered in Abu Dhabi for an all-expenses-paid training camp in a luxury resort boasting state-of-the-art sports facilities.Enticed there by the kind of appearance fees that most could only dream of, along with the tantalising prospect of a $1m prize if they could beat the world record in their discipline, the event presented an opportunity to extend or revive sporting careers.And then there were the drugs.At a hospital 30 minutes’ drive away on the outskirts of the city, the athletes were offered individually tailored programmes of ‘enhancement protocols’ – substances strictly prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada), but allowed there.Enhanced Games chiefs are not revealing which performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) each athlete has taken, but they have released the following;91% of athletes used testosterone or testosterone esters79% used human growth hormone 62% used stimulants 50% used metabolic modulators41% used erythropoietin (EPO)29% used an anabolic steroid agent 5% used hormonal support therapies While BBC Sport was not granted access to the hospital when it visited the Enhanced Games training camp in February, organisers have emphasised that these substances were all approved by the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) and given as part of a clinical trial under strict medical supervision with all participants monitored. Enhanced says that four of its athletes are competing naturally. Since its launch however, the project has been condemned by sports bodies and anti-doping authorities.Amid the backlash, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Wada called it “immoral” and “a dangerous and irresponsible concept” in a joint statement last year. World Athletics president Lord Coe said anyone taking part was “moronic”. And World Aquatics then became the first governing body to ban anyone involved from its events. Enhanced Games – a sporting r  BBC Sport