Olympic medallist becomes first Briton to join Enhanced Games

Olympic swimmer Ben Proud has become the first British athlete to join the controversial Enhanced Games - but insists what he is doing is not undermining 'clean' sport.

Proud, 30, is a world and European champion at 50m freestyle, and won silver at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

But he has now committed to an event that allows athletes to take banned performance-enhancing drugs. By taking part he will be barred from international competition.

Proud never won Olympic gold or broke the 50m freestyle world record, which has stood since 2009, but feels the Enhanced Games "give me a new opportunity to continue this pursuit and see how far I can take things".

Asked if he thinks the event undermines clean sport, Proud told BBC Sport: "No. I think it opens up the potential avenue to excel in a very different way.

"I think realistically I've achieved everything I can, and now the Enhanced [Games] is giving me a new opportunity. I definitely don't think that's undermining a clean sport.

"I really respect the sport I've been part of, and I would never step back in knowing I've done something which isn't in the rules."

In a statement on social media, Aquatics GB said: "Aquatics GB is immensely disappointed in Ben Proud's announcement to sign with the Enhanced Games.

"Aquatics GB, along with our partners, stand firmly behind the values and principles of clean sport and condemns Ben's decision in the strongest terms."

UK Sport said it is working with Aquatics GB "as a matter of urgency to determine Ben Proud's suitability to receive public funds" and that any breach of anti-doping rules contravenes policies athletes must comply with to receive UK Sport funding.

UK Sport added it "condemns everything the Enhanced Games stands for in the strongest possible terms" and is "incredibly disappointed" that any British athletes in its programmes would support such an event.

Earlier this year, World Aquatics became the first international sport federation to ban athletes, coaches and officials from its events if they have taken part in the Enhanced Games.

Proud has previously supported UK Anti-Doping's Clean Sport Week while British team-mates Adam Peaty and Duncan Scott have been outspoken against doping.

Proud said he sees 'traditional sport' and the Enhanced Games as "two very separate entities", and that he found athletes breaking the rules "incredibly frustrating".

"I see doping in clean sports as a complete no-go," he said. "I don't have any time for that.

"The fact it's still happening is a problem. It'll always be a cat and mouse game, there will always be people developing new techniques or people getting away with things.

"That's one thing that has ruined sport for a lot of people. The anti-doping agencies just don't have the ability to completely make sure everyone is clean and on a level playing field, and that to me has always been the biggest frustration.

"If you were part of my life for the past 12, 13 years, you'd see how much time you have to allocate to making sure we're available to be tested on a daily basis, making sure we're constantly giving our samples."

When asked for comment, the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) referred BBC Sport to its previous statement on the Enhanced Games, condemning it as a "a dangerous and irresponsible concept".

Wada's latest Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs) report was published in July, covering 2022. It said that from 241,143 samples, 1,979 (0.82%) were reported to be adverse findings, of which 1,376 (69.5%) resulted in an ADRV.

What are the Enhanced Games?

The Enhanced Games were launched as a concept in 2023, with some doping measures permitted under medical supervision.

Only substances approved by the United States' Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can be taken, which is different to the list Wada allows for elite athletes.

The event has been criticised for endangering athletes' health and undermining fair play, with Wada describing it as a "dangerous and irresponsible project" and Travis Tygart, chief executive of the US Anti-Doping Agency, calling it a "clown show".

"We have access to some of the greatest specialists out there to make sure that everything will be an informed decision," Proud said.

"Everything is FDA approved. Everything's readily available to the general public. It's done under very strict supervision from doctors and health care professionals, and I will never take anything that I am unsure of.

"They are not allowing anyone to participate if they are under any stress or health risks."

Proud also said that organisers "aren't asking me to take anything" and he is unsure at the moment what substances he would use.

"If you ask me in six months' time, I'll probably have a bit more of an answer," he said. "I'm coming into this very new, I don't know any pros and cons about anything that could be available.

"All I know is that it's going to be a very interesting dynamic to learn about these things, things that have not been available to us for a long time.

"I'm very curious as to what could be done to feel better in certain aspects of the race or training. I have the next three, four months to figure out what it is. After that, ultimately, I have the decision to say I want to take it or not."

The Enhanced Games are planned to be an annual competition, initially comprising short-distance swimming, sprinting and weightlifting, with the inaugural event set to be held in Las Vegas from 21-24 May 2026.

Why is Proud joining?

Proud completed the set for 50m freestyle at this year's World Aquatics Championships, winning his first silver medal after one world gold and three bronze

The Enhanced Games offers appearance fees and bonuses, with Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev receiving a prize of $1m (£739,000) for beating a world record time in the US in February.

Organisers said he swam 20.89 seconds in a 50m freestyle time trial, 0.02 seconds quicker than the world record set by Brazil's Cesar Cielo in December 2009, although the time will not be recognised by World Aquatics.

"Seeing someone break the world record really changed my perspective," said Proud. "Suddenly there's another format and the fastest man in the water is no longer in the traditional format.

"It made me think about myself, my life, my career, and what it is that I really want out of this.

"I find it really interesting to see what I can do with this new format, and I feel like I'm the best person at this point in time to really deliver a good product for this."

After winning his first Olympic medal last year and silver at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore last month, Proud felt "the most content with my career that I've ever been".

The 2022 world champion added that he has spoken to "one or two" of his former team-mates about his new venture.

"All I've had is positive feedback," Proud said. "You talk to people in the swimming community and it does come with some questions, like 'are you sure this is right?'

"But the people who I've told know me well enough to know that this is the best opportunity I have.

"It's something that I think I can excel at, and it's coming at a time in my career where I'm satisfied, I'm happy. I'm ready to step away."