Olympic Medalist Ben Proud to Swim in Enhanced Games, Will Be Allowed to Use PEDs

Ben Proud, a silver medalist at the 2024 Olympics, will forego the 2028 Games to participate in the first-ever Enhanced Games competition that allows participants to use performance-enhancing drugs.

Proud made the announcement in an Instagram post on Wednesday, writing: "I will be retiring from traditional swimming to compete in the Enhanced Games. Stepping into a framework that challenges everything we know about performance, and a chance to chase the outer edge of human potential with the tools and possibilities of our time. This is where my next chapter begins."

The Enhanced Games was originally announced in June 2023, led by Australian-born businessman Aron D'Souza, with the initial plan to host the first event in late 2024.

D'Souza's idea for the Enhanced Games is to compete various Olympic-like events, including swimming, track and field and weightlifting.

Per the official Enhanced website, all athletes participating in the event will be required to "undergo extensive medical profiling before competition, which will allow our independent medical commission to assess their health status, ensure safety standards are met, and monitor any potential risks associated with enhanced performance."

Even though the Enhanced Games will allow the use of PEDs, only FDA-approved substances are permitted, like testosterone, growth hormone and certain anabolic steroids. Illicit drugs are banned.

Both the International Olympic Committee athlete's committee and World Anti-Doping Agency athlete council have voiced strong opposition to the Enhanced Games.

The Enhanced Games are scheduled to be held at Resorts World Las Vegas from May 21-24. Proud joins Josif Miladinov, Kristian Gkolomeev, Andrii Govorov, Megan Romano and James Magnussen as athletes who have committed to participate.

Winners of each event will receive $250,000, with an additional $1 million prize available if anyone in the 100-meter track sprint and 50-meter freestyle sets a new world record in the discipline.

Proud, a 30-year-old from London, won silver in the 50-meter men's freestyle at the 2024 Games in Paris.