London : British swimming star Ben Proud, fresh off his silver medal triumph at the Paris 2024 Olympics, has announced a groundbreaking shift in his career. Proud, one of the fastest freestyle sprinters of his generation and a multiple world and Commonwealth champion, is retiring from traditional swimming competitions to join the inaugural Enhanced Games—a new and highly controversial sporting event where the use of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) like steroids and human growth hormones is permitted under medical supervision.
Set to debut in May 2026 in Las Vegas, the Enhanced Games aim to redefine athletic competition by allowing athletes to legally use banned substances to push human potential beyond conventional limits. Proud will be the first British athlete to sign up for this radical experiment, which features swimming, sprinting, and weightlifting events. Winners at the Games will receive $250,000 per event, with a $1 million bonus awaiting any athlete who breaks a world record.
Speaking about his decision, Proud said, “I think it opens a potential avenue to excel in a very different way. Realistically, I’ve achieved everything I can in traditional sport, and now the Enhanced Games provide a new opportunity.” He emphasized his respect for clean competition but stated that the Enhanced Games represent a separate format where performance enhancement is openly part of the challenge. Proud also made clear that participating will exclude him from future Olympic and WADA-regulated events.
The announcement has stirred wide debate. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) condemned the Games as “dangerous and irresponsible,” while UK Anti-Doping’s chief expressed deep disappointment, warning that such participation threatens the very spirit of sport grounded in hard work, integrity, and clean competition. Likewise, World Aquatics swiftly banned athletes and officials who join the Enhanced Games from their competitions.
However, Proud remains focused on the new path, highlighting that only FDA-approved substances will be allowed and insisting he will make any decisions about drug use under medical guidance. He hopes to challenge stigmas around some performance aids that may also improve recovery and well-being.
Ben Proud’s move marks a significant moment in sport’s evolving discourse on doping—and whether the future may see parallel competitions, one clean and one enhanced. With extraordinary prize money and an eye-catching format, the Enhanced Games are poised to spark fresh controversy and conversation about the limits of human athletic performance.
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