Ben Proud: Why I signed up to the Enhanced Games – and my response to doping critics - The Athletic
The British swimmer explains why breaking records is at the heart of his decision to sign up to one of sport's most controversial events In June, World Aquatics — swimming’s global governing body — confirmed that any athlete, coach or official would be banned from participating in their events if they had endorsed or competed in the Enhanced Games, making the transition a one-way street.The Athletic spoke exclusively to Proud about his motivations for signing up to the Enhanced Games, what the new competition offers that the Olympic pathway could not and what the implications could be for him and sport in general.I’ve got these next four months to really dive into it and understand the process and how it looks with all the new rules and formats. But basically, this is me announcing my retirement from the traditional format — because of this blanket ban (to Enhanced Games athletes), we kind of have to.Proud: There’s no knowing what the reaction is going to be: it could be really positive and bring a lot more interest. But my only focus is to do as well as possible at the Games. I’m just happy to be a part of a competition that really embodies performance.
