Olympic silver medallist Ben Proud signs for Enhanced Games and faces World Aquatics ban

Ben Proud, a 30-year-old Olympic silver medallist, has become the first British athlete to sign for the Enhanced Games, a multi-sport event that permits the use of performance-enhancing drugs, organisers said on Wednesday. World Aquatics has issued a ban on athletes who take part in the Enhanced Games, a move that officials say will make Proud ineligible for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The Enhanced Games, scheduled for May 2026, has drawn widespread condemnation from anti-doping authorities, parts of the scientific community and national governing bodies since its launch in 2023. The World Anti-Doping Agency has criticised the event, saying it puts athlete safety at "serious risk" and "fundamentally undermines" sporting values.

Proud, who won silver at the 2024 Paris Olympics and specialises in sprint freestyle, said in a statement that his "ambition has always been to be the fastest man on the planet." "I want to focus on performance at its highest level and challenge myself in new ways," he added, saying the Enhanced Games "gives me that chance — to test the limits of human potential with the tools and possibilities of our time."

Aquatics GB, the national governing body for swimming, diving, artistic swimming, water polo and para-swimming, responded with a sharply worded statement. "Aquatics GB is immensely disappointed in Ben Proud's announcement to sign with the Enhanced Games," the organisation said. "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. A further statement will be issued in due course."

Organisers of the Enhanced Games have defended the competition as a new model for elite sport, offering substantial financial incentives for competitors. The inaugural event is expected to award $250,000 to winners of each event, and a separate $1 million fund has been promised to any athlete who breaks the standing world records in the 100-metre track sprint and the 50-metre freestyle. Maximilian Martin, deputy president of the Enhanced Games, said bringing Proud to the event "is truly amazing" and argued that the competition aims to let "athletes perform at their absolute highest level and get paid appropriately for their incredible talent."

Proud's personal best in the 50m freestyle is 21.11 seconds. The existing world record of 20.91 seconds was set by Brazil's Cesar Cielo Filho in 2009. Organisers and the swimmer have pointed to the world-record prize as a compelling incentive for his participation.

World Aquatics' ban on athletes participating in the Enhanced Games was introduced after the event's emergence as a forum that explicitly allows otherwise banned substances and procedures. Governing bodies argue that permitting such participation risks creating parallel standards for performance and undermines international competition frameworks that enforce anti-doping rules.

The Enhanced Games' founders have portrayed their event as a challenge to existing sports governance, while anti-doping authorities and many national federations have warned of health and ethical risks. Medical experts who have publicly commented on the event have emphasised the potential dangers of unsupervised or experimental drug use in high-performance settings.

Proud's decision is the latest high-profile development in an unfolding debate about the future of elite sport and the boundaries of permissible performance enhancement. The swimmer's participation in the Enhanced Games means he will be unable to represent Great Britain at World Aquatics events and, under current rulings, at the 2028 Olympic Games. Aquatics GB and other stakeholders have said they will review the implications of individual athletes' decisions in the coming months as the Enhanced Games draws closer.