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Olympic swimming silver medallist Ben Proud, the first British athlete to sign up for the Enhanced Games, has accepted he risks sullying his reputation but admitted he is chiefly motivated by the potential huge financial rewards in the twilight of his career.
The swimmer told the BBC Today programme on Thursday: “There’s a huge financial incentive with this and I would be lying if I said it didn’t matter. If you look at the facts 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.
“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.”
Proud provoked an angry reaction when he announced on Wednesday that he was signing up for the Enhanced Games, which are due to take place next May and allow participants to take performance-enhancing substances.
When asked if he was fearful it would cast a shadow over his achievements during a glittering career, including world and European freestyle championship victories and a silver medal at last year’s Olympics in Paris, Proud was unrepentant.
“It definitely carries that risk,”he said. “This is one of the matters I really had to get my head around. Ultimately the public perception of me isn’t really that important – I don’t see myself in the public eye too much so for me it’s not the biggest issue.
“Ultimately 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 added that he felt he had reached the zenith of his swimming career and the Enhanced Games made it possible for him to be rewarded at the end of his competitive time in the pool.
He explained: “I’ve been to three Olympics and had some amazing opportunities and this is my chance to capitalise on a skill I’ve spent the best part of 15 years developing. I see this as a great opportunity for myself and my family. I feel like I’ve achieved everything I realistically could do.
“There are world records and Olympic golds I haven’t quite got but that’s asking a little too much of me now. I feel I’m at the right point of my life where I can look back at my career and go onto something new.”
In answer to a question about concerns he had about the effects taking banned substances could have on his body, Proud stated: “It does carry a big risk and there’s a huge stigma around these substances, but what I will say for sure is that there’s no obligation for me to be taking anything.
“It’s my choice and the doctors will be giving me the best support in order for me to make the most informed decision. Everything is currently available to the public through prescription – there’s nothing illegal and nothing that I would feel bad touching.”
Aquatics GB and UK Sport have already announced they will cease funding for Proud, who has told the Times he lost “trust in the system” after 23 Chinese swimmers were cleared to compete at the Tokyo Olympics despite testing positive for the banned drug trimetazidine in 2021.
“Coming up through the British system, we set such a good standard and I’m very much a sucker for the rules,” Proud said. “I comply as best I can. But seeing that this can actually go on behind the scenes I was like ‘Well, what’s the point?’
“I did then say to myself, ‘It’s easier for me just to completely ignore it and focus on myself’. But fast forward to the scandal with the Chinese swimmers. There’s a lot of questions going round and the answers just aren’t good enough to really regain trust in the system.”
