Olympic swimmer Ben Proud has become the first British athlete to join the Enhanced Games - a controversial new event that allows athletes from all over the world to compete using performance-enhancing drugs. The prize money on offer can hit US$1 million (£730,000). But the swimmer, who won a silver medal at last year's Paris Olympics, has sparked sharp criticism from sporting bodies after announcing he would be taking part.
Author
- Alexandra Consterdine
Senior Lecturer in Sociology of Sport, Exercise and Health, Liverpool John Moores University
In essence, Proud's decision challenges the core values of fair play and athlete safety. While he frames it as a pursuit of human potential, motivated by financial reward, critics argue it undermines clean sport, poses health risks and is very likely to damage his legacy.
It also leaves him unable to compete in future Olympic Games and raises questions about his suitability to receive public funding.
The Enhanced Games will debut in Las Vegas in May 2026. The event offers prizes of US$250,000 per event and US$1 million for breaking the world record. It was created as an alternative to sport controlled by the International Olympic Committee, with athletes being permitted to use substances approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These could include steroids, testosterone and growth hormones.
Athletes will compete in swimming (50m and 100m freestyle, 50m and 100m butterfly), athletic events (100m sprint, 100m/110m hurdles) and weightlifting (snatch, clean and jerk). So far, five elite-level swimmers have signed up, including four-time world champion Megan Romano. She is the first American and the first woman to commit. Australian Olympic swimmer James Magnussen has indicated that he will come out of retirement to compete in the 50m freestyle.
The event has had to look to alternative sources for funding. International venture capitalists and private investors have provided a multimillion-dollar investment into the project - reportedly Peter Thiel (co-founder of PayPal) and German entrepreneur Christian Angermayer are among those backing the project .
But outside the world of venture capitalism, the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) has labelled the Enhanced Games "dangerous and irresponsible" . The governing bodies Aquatics GB and UK Sport have condemned Proud's decision.
As well as his Olympic success, Proud is also a former world and European champion in the 50m freestyle. So you might think he has little left to prove. But in an interview, the swimmer said his goal is to test the limits of human potential, and become the fastest man on the planet.
But, of course, the question of money is looming large. Proud has also admitted that this played a major part in his decision. Elite-level swimming, compared to sports like men's football, rugby and tennis, does not offer big financial wins for athletes.
Proud claimed that prize money of US$250,000 would take "13 years of winning world championship titles" to earn. A gold medal at the world championships in 2025 would have earned a swimmer US$20,000 at most .
Inequality in sport
Within sport, there are deep divisions in terms of how it is financed and supported, with variations in sponsorship, commercial investment and viewing figures. At the high-performance level, this inequality is most keenly felt in minority sports such as swimming, where even highly successful athletes struggle for financial rewards.
In fact, the British Elite Athletes Association (the independent representative body) has warned that the majority of athletes funded by the World Class Programme from UK Sport will not be able to afford to stay in their sport until the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics without a funding increase.
According to a survey done by the association last year, two thirds of the 87 respondents who travelled to Paris in 2024 said they would be forced to quit before 2028. This could put British sport in a precarious situation with potentially serious ramifications .
It would mean that the number of athletes representing the UK would fall, with consequences for the longevity of sports programmes, community initiatives and grassroots schemes to get people more active. At a time of rising obesity levels, sedentary lives and declining health , the UK cannot ignore the positive effects of getting more exercise, bolstered by sporting role models.
So while it could earn him serious prize money, Proud's decision is a direct challenge to clean sport values . And it risks normalising drug use in sport, undermining decades of anti-doping efforts . Experts have defined clean sport as being free of "drugs and other forms of artificial enhancements".
What's more, it pits athlete autonomy against their responsibility to the public. There is a tension between Proud's decision to test his limits and the responsibilities he has as a role model - and a recipient of public funding .
And the health risks of performance-enhancing drugs is a problem. Even if FDA-approved, the use of otherwise-banned substances in competitive sport introduces unknown long-term health consequences , especially when used in extreme training environments.
This highlights the inherent contradiction of sport as a desirable, healthy activity, while at the same time promoting potentially dangerous practices.
And the impact on an athlete's legacy and reputation cannot be overstated. Proud's Olympic achievements are now likely to be overshadowed by his association with a movement widely condemned by sporting bodies. Regardless of his success at the Enhanced Games, his presence there could shut him out of the many opportunities that sporting heroes can enjoy long after they've retired.
Alexandra Consterdine does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
