Paris Olympic medalist and three-time world champion Ben Proud dropped a bombshell on Wednesday morning, announcing his move to the Enhanced Games after a decorated career in the pool representing Great Britain.
Although the immediate assumption is that an athlete joining the Enhanced Games will enter the organization’s protocol and begin taking performance-enhancing substances, that’s not a requirement for someone to participate in the Games. Athletes are able to compete for the prize money pool, which includes $500,000 for the winner of each event and a $1 million bonus for breaking the world record in the 50 freestyle (or 100-meter dash), without taking drugs.
Proud is noncommittal as to whether or not he’ll take performance-enhancing drugs in the lead-up to the Enhanced Games in May 2026, though he’s open to the possibility.
“This is the start of my journey with the Enhanced Games format, all I know is I want to apply myself to this event as I have applied myself to the Olympic pathway, that will be by learning and understanding what is best for me and my performance,” Proud said in a statement sent to SwimSwam on Wednesday.
“We will be lucky to have access to the best specialists to make the most informed decision, but ultimately, there is no obligation for me to take anything, and I have total control over this aspect.”
As things currently stand, Proud’s decision to join the Enhanced Games effectively ends his international career. Even if he doesn’t take PEDs, World Aquatics has enacted a bylaw that bars any swimmer who has taken part in the Games to participate in an AQUA-sanctioned event.
However, things could change depending on what happens with the $800 million lawsuit filed by the Games last month, which some legal experts believe could have legs.
Aquatics GB issued a statement in light of Proud’s announcement on Wednesday:
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. A further statement will be issued in due course.
UK Sport has also said it will engage with Aquatics GB to determine Proud’s “suitability” to receive public funds, according to Nick Hope.
The 30-year-old Brit is one of the best male sprinters of the past decade, most recently winning silver in the 50 free at the 2025 World Championships in Singapore. He also won silver in the event at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, his first medal at the Games after a pair of near misses in Rio (4th) and Tokyo (5th).
Proud’s best run of success arguably came in 2022, when he won gold in the 50 free at the World Championships (LC), Commonwealth Games and European Championships, making him the first swimmer to win all three titles in the same event in the same year. He also won the short course world title in the 50 free in December 2021, making him the holder of four major international titles in the event simultaneously.
He owns a personal best time of 21.11 in the 50 free, done at the 2018 European Championships, which at the time, was the fastest ever recorded in a textile suit. At the 2025 World Championships earlier this summer, he had his fastest swim since then, clocking 21.26.
Greek Olympian Kristian Gkolomeev, who tied with Proud for 5th in the 50 free at the Tokyo Olympics, broke the world record in the 50 free earlier this year after joining the Enhanced Games (and going on the protocol), putting up a time of 20.89 in a supersuit to go under Cesar Cielo‘s 2009 mark of 20.91. Gkolomeev also clocked 21.03 in a textile suit, under Caeleb Dressel‘s mark of 21.04, which stands as the fastest-ever textile performance.
So crazy.
If Ben isn’t going to “enhance” then why bother? These are the Confusion games. I hope there is long term health insurance as part of their “package”. I find everything about jacking everyone up deplorable!
At the end of each race we should have the event’s organizers and investors weigh in on thumbs up and thumbs down for the sorry losers. Let let’s take this to the extreme……
Will make for an excellent stream.
If Ben isn’t going to “enhance” then why bother — $200K
This is all so muddled.
Ben being coached by Gibson but Gibson being WA’s poster boy but also best buds with Hawke or something and then then EG suing WA for insane amounts of money.
What is ging on?
Maybe this is a dumb question but if he’s playing the “I don’t *have* to take PEDs” card, is he going to stay in the WADA testing pool?
Exactly, by ‘retiring’ he would be taking himself out of the standard protocol.
Sure, that’s a viable option. He might decide to race for big money clean, against others who are juiced. Sure. We’re buying that.
just as he did so far 😉 😉
Alright!! Finally someone who will jump into the pool very clean without any enhancements, and racing against the doped up drones, trying to win that $1M prize money all clean!!!! Yeah and I’ve got a bridge in Brooklyn to sell….
If Ben races clean (just for the money and to swim super-suited) the EG lawsuit has more weight against USAs and WA…which makes me wonder if Ben was engaged by EG to be that high profile “clean athlete” they needed to add teeth to the lawsuit. And, if you believe EG, they want all the elites they can get, whether they use PEDs or not. Again, this lawsuit will be about digging into USAs and WA financials in discovery/depositions. Lawsuits are always about ‘following the money” – and Peter Thiel is the 10-ton heavyweight in the situation (as an EG investor). I don’t think anyone can win or even claim a win against Thiel (if Thiel is engaged on this,… Read more »
…if I am correct on my comment above, everyone needs to be sober about one fact. The $1M prize is just a press release, it is merely marketing to grab headlines. I am pretty d#$& sure these elites are being paid in the background, under contract, and their contracts are higher, a more pro level based on the increasing investment dollars in EG.
Peter Thiel is a narcissistic sociopath obsessed with money and tearing down institutions so they can be rebuilt the way he sees fit. This is exactly what he’s doing, and I wonder how much Ben Proud is going to receive for being the clean athlete.
..I’m speculating, so we don’t know. We will in the coming months. I’m far more concerned with how the orgs managed this. Leadership matters because leadership is always about mitigating liability. IMO they walked into this minefield blindly….and I do not believe they will be held accountable. That $800M lawsuit is no joke. It’s real. And it was avoidable.
Unfortunately, I think you are right on the money about him playing 4D chess while USAS and WA are playing tic tac toe. He’s going to be way ahead of their arguments, which are going to be very obvious, and he has the deep pockets to drag it out as long as possible.
..why not? This lawsuit is the best EG marketing anyone could deploy by design.
In theory, the orgs can avoid the financial ruin of the $800 million lawsuit by not having the rules that bans swimmers who participate in EG- as long as the swimmers are either continues to be in drug testing pool and stay clean (or get banned if tested positive) or back in test pool for the specific time if they have retired from testing before. Because that’s how it works now without EG in the picture.
But, can WADA keep up with the enhanced doping ability supported by the money of EG?
This may eventually expose WADA failed to catch dopers, using future drugs or maybe even for existing drugs… If that’s the case, the whole testing premises… Read more »
Absolutely correct!
Seems plausible… how far swimming has fallen in purity from the legacy of Duke K being a water man to the world’s 103rd richest billionaire being able to exploit elite swimmer’s financial insecurities.
You’re right that no one can really win against Thiel, but not because he’s 10 steps ahead. It’s because he has basically infinite resources to throw at whatever he wants.
A good reason that billionaires shouldn’t exist!
Billionaires can exist.
The problem is billionaires pay lower tax rates than middle income due to various reasons.
What’s obscene also awards hundreds billions in share packages to someone like Elon.
Huh, no, they shouldn’t exist. You’re so close to getting it about the tax rates! Their marginal rates should be high enough that you can’t accumulate that much wealth. (Because it basically turns them into Gods and that’s not really healthy for society.)
That, plus the whole “we can use that money for other stuff” aspect. No billionaires!
Nobody actually believes this clown right? Obviously she’s gonna juice
>she’s
That would involve a very different set of drugs.
… more than in the past now
Accepting money from that sick freak Thiel is worse than doping though