The Enhanced Games will debut next May in Las Vegas, featuring swimming, track and weightlifting competitions in an event that will allow athletes to use performance enhancers.
Romano calls competing in the event "an opportunity to push the boundaries of human performance in a transparent and scientifically-backed environment, and to compete on a stage where female athletes are valued and compensated fairly. equally. I believe this is the future of sport.”
The Enhanced Games will offer a prize purse of $500,000 for each event with $1 million bonuses going to anyone who breaks a world record in the 100-meter sprint (track) and 50-meter freestyle (swimming).
Those marks would not count as “official,” because world records need to be ratified by international federations, which require record-breakers to pass doping tests.
The International Olympic Committee has condemned the concept of the Enhanced Games, saying, "If you want to destroy any concept of fair play and fair competition in sport, this would be a good way to do it.”
But the games have built some momentum and raised money in the “double-digit millions," according to founder Aron D’Souza.
Four male swimmers, including Olympic medalist James Magnussen of Australia, have committed to the games.
Romano, a standout swimmer at Georgia in college, anchored the U.S. 4x100 freestyle relay team to a gold medal at world championships in 2013.