Ben Proud, a world champion swimmer and silver medalist in Paris last summer, announced Wednesday he was quitting his Olympic career to race in lucrative events that allow steroids and other performance drugs.
Proud will take part in the 2026 Enhanced Games, which is financed in part by a venture capital fund backed by Donald Trump Jr.
Proud, from Great Britain, said on Instagram that he has the opportunity “to pursue something unique that excites me in a new way. .. This is not the end of my journey. It’s the beginning of a new chapter.”
Proud, a former world champion who has won dozens of international medals in addition to a silver medal in the 50-meter freestyle at the Paris Olympics, might also be doing it for the money.
The first Enhanced competition next May in Las Vegas will pay $250,000 to the winner of the 50-meter event and $1 million for breaking the world record, The Athletic reported. The same incentives apply for the 100-meter sprint in track and field. Weightlifting will also be contested.
