“In the UK, athletes are not paid as much as you might think”

Ben Proud, Olympic vice -champion in Paris and double world champion, has aroused numerous side effects when he confirmed that he has signed and will participate in “improved games”.

• Enhanced Games is the project of business people who try to convince as many professional athletes to participate in a competition in which nothing is forbidden in terms of doping substances and technologies used.

• There will be no anti -doping checks, and athletes will receive very large amounts to try to break various records. The competition would take place in May 2026, after being postponed several times.

The British swimming federation, but also World Aquatics, issued communications in which they condemn the choice of Proud. After announcing his decision on social networks, the athlete gave several interviews in which he explained his decision, invoking financial reasons.

“The Olympic athletes are still considered amateurs, especially the British. I think we are one of the three countries where no financial compensation is received for performance at the Olympic Games.

Competitions are based on the fact that athletes want to participate for all the benefits they get once they reach the podium.

But I think there is a need for a change, either from the International Olympic Committee, or from the management bodies, ”he told The Athletic.

Ben Proud to Start Photo Imago Images

Ben Proud: “It hurt me a lot”

Apou continued: “O.Amenians need to understand that athletes in the UK are not paid as much as they might think. You get a handshake and a beating on your back and you are told, “Good job”. Then you ensure your financing for the next 12 months and you return to the same routine. It hurt enough to know that there is no compensation because I dedicated my life to this. I hope, in the future, the athletes will be able to benefit from rewards, ”Proud said.

“For some time, the situation is quite old about the Olympic games. I think something good can result in the fact that people want to make this change, to deviate from the path that no one has dared to follow so far. Finally, competition is a good thing. Ben Proud

Ben Proud: “The anti -doping rules are outdated”

Asked if he was tempted to use doping substances, the British replied: “In swimming, it is very difficult. The anti -doping situation is quite frustrating. You hear stories about athletes who do certain things or about swimmers who are caught, but as a British athlete, the rules are so strict that you do not even think about it. “

He stressed: “I feel that anti -doping rules are an outdated system, which allows some to escape unobserved. We do so much to ensure that our name remain clean – daily tests, availability at any time of the day – and yet, the vast majority of fans or the general public still believe that performance athletes take something, which is incredibly frustrating.

2 world titleshas Ben Proud, conquered at 50 m butterfly in 2017 and 50 m free in 2022

Personally, I was often the subject of speculation because of my physique, people saying, “Sure they are doping.” For many years, this affected me. I would like to see what my daily life looks like, how strictly and controlled everything is. But this is not even enough to clean your name, so I leave everything behind and go to this new format ”, he explained.

Ben Proud in action photo Imago Images

Asked about the impact of the forbidden substances he could use, Proud said: “Health is probably the most important subject, but I am sure nothing will have long-term effects on me, given the protocols and how everything will be managed.

Ben Proud, interested in the forbidden substances for recovery

The double Olympic champion emphasized: “I will not approach this with the idea: “Take whatever you want.” I'm not that kind of person and I don't think it would be helpful in sports. It is about state-of-the-art sports, presented in a way that people have never seen before.

In the last 15 years, my career has been very simple: even when I am sick, I only take paracetamol or ibuprofen, avoiding any other medicine for fear of contamination. Now I will be open to new things, but only after I understand if I can help myself and if it is worth accepting, ”added the swimmer.

Ben Proud Photo Imago Images

He did not reveal what substances he will use: “I was sent a short list of options and some seem interesting to me, especially those aimed at recovery, because this is the most important aspect for me. If you ask me again over six months, I will probably be able to answer much clearer.”

Process of $ 800 million

Before Proud, four other consecrated swimmers announced their participation in “Enhanced Games”: Australian James Magnussen (34 years old), triple Olympic medalist and world champion at 100 m free, Ukrainian Andrii Govorov (33 GKOLOMEEV (32 years old), an Olympic finalist and European champion at 50 m free, and American Megan Romano (34 years old), world champion in 2013 with 4×100 m free and 4×100 mixed.

In addition to swimming, there will be competitions in athletics and dumbbells. Initially, in the program they also figured gymnastics and contact sports, but they were eliminated. Also, what in 2023 had been announced as a competition with thousands of participants became a demonstrative competition.

Last month, the company that organizes the competition filed a $ 800 million antitrust process, accusing several international organizations of orchestrating an illegal campaign to discourage athletes to participate.

The trial, opened at a federal court in New York, has the defendant on World Aquatics, USA Swimming and the World Anti -Doping Agency (WADA). Enhanced Games also requests compensation and a court decision to stop what they consider to be a coordinated campaign against the organization, after these institutions have warned that any athlete participating in the competition will no longer have access to the official races.