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Two-time gold medalist Hunter Armstrong became the latest Olympian to announce plans to compete in the Enhanced Games later this year, and he will do so without the help of any performance-enhancing drugs.
Armstrong, a two-time Olympian and 25-year-old Ohio native, he told ESPN who intends to compete in the Olympic Games next May without the use of prohibited substances. He explained that his decision ultimately came down to a financial issue.
Hunter Armstrong swims in the 100-meter freestyle during the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, on June 18, 2024. (Robert Goddin/USA TODAY Sports)
“If I don’t join Enhanced, I lose everything. If I join Enhanced, I have a chance to not lose everything,” Armstrong said, explaining that to continue swimming he decided to compete. “My back was against the wall, so I had to reopen that conversation to see if it was a plausible option.”
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Armstrong told the outlet that after abruptly losing a title sponsor last year, he needed to find a new way to continue swimming. The Enhanced Games will take place in Las Vegas, where rewards of up to $1 million are offered.
But World Aquatics, the sport’s governing body, last year introduced an amendment to its statutes that would ban any athlete from participating in the sport if they competed in the Enhanced Games.
“Those who enable doped sport are not welcome at World Aquatics or our events,” its president, Husain al-Musallam, said in a statement following the June decision. The new rule states anyone who “supports, endorses or participates in sporting events that adopt the use of scientific advances or other practices that may include prohibited substances and/or prohibited methods.”
Team USA’s Caeleb Dressel, Jack Alexy, Chris Guiliano and Hunter Armstrong before the men’s 4×100 meter freestyle relay final on the first day of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Paris La Defense Arena in Nanterre, France, on July 27, 2024. (Xavier Laine/Getty Images)
However, Armstrong told ESPN that after consulting with lawyers, he believes he would still be eligible to compete if he maintains drug testing and follows the governing body’s rules and regulations. But he didn’t receive a definitive answer before making the decision to compete.
“No one really knows what’s going to happen and no one will give me an answer about what’s going to happen,” he said. “So the only thing I can take into account is what the rules say and take my chances because I won’t get an answer if I wait.”
Team USA’s Hunter Armstrong prepares to compete in the men’s 50 meter backstroke final on day eight of the 2022 FINA World Championships Budapest at the Duna Arena in Budapest, Hungary, on June 25, 2022. (Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
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A World Aquatics spokesperson told ESPN that the organization will decide on the new rule on a case-by-case basis.
Several Olympians, including James Magnussen, Ben Proud, Cody Miller and Fred Kerley, will compete in the Enhanced Games.
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