Olympian Hunter Armstrong dangers World Aquatics ban by becoming a member of Enhanced Games

Two-time gold medalist Hunter Armstrong turned the newest Olympian to announce plans to compete within the Enhanced Games later this 12 months, and he’ll be doing so with out the help of any performance-enhancing medicine. 

Armstrong, the two-time Olympian and 25-year-old Ohio native, told ESPN that he intends to compete within the Olympic-style video games this May with out the usage of banned substances. He defined that his resolution finally got here right down to a monetary one. 

Hunter Armstrong swims within the 100-meter freestyle through 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 do join Enhanced, I have a chance at not losing everything,” Armstrong stated, explaining that in an effort to maintain swimming he determined 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 informed the outlet after shedding a major sponsor abruptly final 12 months, he wanted to discover a new technique to proceed swimming. The Enhanced Games are set to happen in Las Vegas, the place rewards of as much as $1 million are being provided.

But World Aquatics, the game’s governing physique, got here out final 12 months with an modification to its bylaws that may ban any athlete from the game in the event that they have been to compete within the Enhanced Games.

“Those who enable doped sport are not welcome at World Aquatics or our events,” its president Husain al-Musallam stated in an announcement after the choice in June. The new rule states anybody who “support, endorse, or participate in sporting events that embrace the use of scientific advancements or other practices that may include prohibited substances and/or prohibited methods.” 

Caeleb Dressel of Team United States, Jack Alexy, Chris Guiliano and Hunter Armstrong earlier than the lads’s 4×100-meter freestyle relay last on Day One of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Paris La Defense Arena in Nanterre, France, on July 27, 2024. (Xavier Laine/Getty Images)

However, Armstrong informed ESPN that after consulting attorneys, he believes he would nonetheless be eligible for competitors if he maintains drug testing and follows the governing physique’s guidelines and laws. But he didn’t obtain a definitive reply earlier than making the choice to compete. 

“Nobody really knows what’s going to happen, and nobody will give me an answer on what’s going to happen,” he stated. “So all I can work off of is what the rules say and take a chance because I won’t get an answer by waiting.”

Hunter Armstrong of Team United States prepares to compete within the males’s 50-meter backstroke last on day eight of the Budapest 2022 FINA World Championships at Duna Arena in Budapest, Hungary, on June 25, 2022. (Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

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A spokesperson for World Aquatics informed ESPN that the group will resolve on the brand new rule on a case-by-case foundation.

Several Olympians, together with James Magnussen, Ben Proud, Cody Miller and Fred Kerley, will compete within the Enhanced Games. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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