Why Olympics medallist swimmer Ben Proud signed up for Enhanced Games, competition which allows performance-enhancing substances

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Ben Proud enhanced games England's Ben Proud reacts after he was disqualified in his men's 50m butterfly heat during the 2018 Commonwealth Games at the Aquatic Centre on the Gold Coast, Australia, Thursday, April 5, 2018. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Ben Proud, a Olympic silver medallist swimmer recently copped a lot of flak after he signed up for the Enhanced Games, becoming the first British athlete to do so. He also said that he accepts that this decision might not go down well for his reputation but pointed out that he was doing it just for the money.

“There’s a huge financial incentive with this and I would be lying if I said it didn’t matter. It would take me 13 years of winning world championship titles just to earn what I can win at one competition at the Enhanced Games,” he said to BBC Today.

“It’s just such a different ballpark financially – it gives me the opportunity to earn that sort of money and setting myself up, my family and supporting my mum. These are opportunities as a 30-year-old I just can’t pass by,” he added.

What are the Enhanced Games

The Enhanced Games are a competition where athletes are allowed to take performance-enhancing substances without being subject to drug tests. The first edition of the Enhanced Games is due to take place in May next year and has provoked backlash from all corners.

Proud, who has won the world and European freestyle championships as well as and a silver medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics, said that while participating in this competition might put a bloat on his reputation, he will be happy if he gets the support ‘of the 15 or 20 people that mean most to me in my life.’

“It definitely carries that risk. This is one of the matters I really had to get my head around. The public perception of me isn’t really that important – I don’t see myself in the public eye too much so it’s not the biggest issue. It came down to whether I could get the support of the 15 or 20 people that mean most to me in my life. If they could understand why I’m making this decision and be supportive, then I’m a happy man,” Proud said.

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