Shame on Ben Proud for Damaging Legacy With Enhanced Games Move
What a sad day for swimming. Ben Proud, whose results have made him the most consistent 50 freestyler in the world over the last half-decade, has committed to racing in the inaugural Enhanced Games next year — and he should be ashamed of himself.
Ashamed to be associated with an organization founded upon the principle of cheating, its mere existence making a mockery of clean sport. Ashamed to have sullied his previously-illustrious reputation by joining forces with this farce.
This decision casts a shadow on Proud’s entire international career representing Great Britain and England. He earned an impressive collection of hardware while competing fair and square within the sport’s anti-doping rules, including 50 freestyle Olympic silver last year in Paris, six medals at the World Championships (two golds) and five wins at the Commonwealth Games. That’s the type of career that earns a swimmer widespread acclaim, a spot as an honored guest at national events secured for life.
Ben Proud (right) will no longer race at major competitions alongside rivals such as Australia’s Cam McEvoy — Photo Courtesy: Emily Cameron
Not anymore. His former national governing body wasted no time in declaring Proud persona non grata. “Aquatics GB is immensely disappointed in Ben Proud’s announcement to sign with the Enhanced Games,” the organization said in a statement posted to Instagram. “Aquatics GB, along with our partners, stand firmly behind the values and principles of clean sport and condemns Ben’s decision in the strongest terms.”
In public comments since announcing his life-altering decision, Proud has been careful to hedge on whether he will actually use performance-enhancing substances, even though he will be free to do so under the rules of the Enhanced Games. But with or without juicing, a swimmer with such an accomplished teaming up with Enhanced is a middle finger to competitive integrity. You know, the principle that guides the sport from summer league to the Olympics.
Dedication to fair racing is the baseline on which competitive swimming is built. All-time greats like Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky built and bolstered their legacies by committing to that standard, then racing against the best during high-stakes moments over and over. Not by jumping off that mainstream track for a billionaire-funded sideshow that harms the sport in every way.
Still, Proud chose to leave behind his legacy as a British sprint hero for this, and the motivations are not without merit. He could lay claim to a world record even without opting for PEDs, provided he races in the full-body polyurethane suits that have been banned from swimming since 2009. The competitive lifestyle will undoubtedly be easier than remaining on the circuit of global, regional and national championships. He will collect significant prize money.
In exchange, Proud only had to sell out his morals and the entire sport, a disgraceful decision all-around.
In a moment like this, it’s fair to question the motives of the individuals behind Enhanced Games. None are lifelong sports fans; they want to turn a profit. The strategy is clear: sell products that will inevitably turn strong swimmers into “world-record breakers,” even if such records have zero legitimacy in the eyes of the vast majority of the sport’s stakeholders who maintain their commitment to clean sport.
Nothing about improving the sport. Only a peep of real opportunities for athletes if only those at the very top hold any real value for the Enhanced brand. And when it inevitably fails, no consequence for those benefactors with generational wealth to fall back on.
No, Proud is the one who will suffer the long-term consequences for his decision, as will any other elite swimmer who considers this as a legitimate career possibility. The most depressing part is that Proud’s defection might legitimize the Enhanced Games as an option for swimmers who previously harbored doubts. A venture unworthy of wasting any oxygen has now received new life.
