Olympian Hunter Armstrong announces plans to compete in Enhanced Games despite World Aquatics ban threat

Two-time golden medalist Hunter Armstrong became the latest Olympian to denote plans to vie successful the Enhanced Games aboriginal this year, and he’ll beryllium doing truthful without the assistance of immoderate performance-enhancing drugs. 

Armstrong, the two-time Olympian and 25-year-old Ohio native, told ESPN that helium intends to vie successful the Olympic-style games this May without the usage of banned substances. He explained that his determination yet came down to a fiscal one. 

Hunter Armstrong swims successful the 100-meter freestyle during the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials astatine Lucas Oil Stadium successful Indianapolis, Indiana, connected June 18, 2024. (Robert Goddin/USA TODAY Sports)

"If I don't articulation Enhanced, I suffer everything. If I bash articulation Enhanced, I person a accidental astatine not losing everything," Armstrong said, explaining that successful bid to support swimming helium decided to compete.  "My backmost was against the wall, truthful I had to reopen that speech to spot if it was a plausible option."

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Armstrong told the outlet aft losing a main sponsor abruptly past year, helium needed to find a caller mode to proceed swimming. The Enhanced Games are acceptable to instrumentality spot successful Las Vegas, wherever rewards of up to $1 cardinal are being offered.

But World Aquatics, the sport’s governing body, came retired past twelvemonth with an amendment to its bylaws that would prohibition immoderate jock from the athletics if they were to vie successful the Enhanced Games.

"Those who alteration doped athletics are not invited astatine World Aquatics oregon our events," its president Husain al-Musallam said successful a connection aft the determination successful June. The caller regularisation states anyone who "support, endorse, oregon enactment successful sporting events that clasp the usage of technological advancements oregon different practices that whitethorn see prohibited substances and/or prohibited methods." 

Caeleb Dressel of Team United States, Jack Alexy, Chris Guiliano and Hunter Armstrong earlier the men’s 4x100-meter freestyle relay last connected Day One of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 astatine Paris La Defense Arena successful Nanterre, France, connected July 27, 2024. (Xavier Laine/Getty Images)

However, Armstrong told ESPN that aft consulting attorneys, helium believes helium would inactive beryllium eligible for contention if helium maintains cause investigating and follows the governing body’s rules and regulations. But helium did not person a definitive reply earlier making the determination to compete. 

"Nobody truly knows what's going to happen, and cipher volition springiness maine an reply connected what's going to happen," helium said. "So each I tin enactment disconnected of is what the rules accidental and instrumentality a accidental due to the fact that I won't get an reply by waiting."

Hunter Armstrong of Team United States prepares to vie successful the men’s 50-meter backstroke last connected time 8 of the Budapest 2022 FINA World Championships astatine Duna Arena successful Budapest, Hungary, connected June 25, 2022. (Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

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A spokesperson for World Aquatics told ESPN that the enactment volition determine connected the caller regularisation connected a case-by-case basis.

Several Olympians, including James Magnussen, Ben Proud, Cody Miller and Fred Kerley, volition vie successful the Enhanced Games. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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