Olympic swimmer Hunter Armstrong to compete in Enhanced Games

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Hunter Armstrong plans to swim in the PED-friendly Advanced Games this May, furthering his aspirations to compete in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Armstrong’s attempt to compete in both events will test the efforts of the International Swimming Federation, World Aquatics, to draw a strong line between the traditional swimming world and Enhanced Sports – a new organization that allows (but does not require) athletes to take a number of substances banned by other sports leagues.

Armstrong, a 25-year-old Ohio native who previously held the world record in the 50-meter backstroke, told ESPN he plans to compete for significant prize money at the Enhanced Games without consuming any banned substances. He said he believed that as long as he continued to comply with World Aquatics’ drug-testing program for athletes, he should remain eligible for a spot on a future U.S. Olympic roster.

Armstrong said joining Enhanced Sports was her only option to continue swimming full-time. He said he had considered retiring last summer because his main sponsor suddenly severed their relationship, leaving him with no way to pay his bills.

Armstrong said, “If I don’t join Enhanced, I lose everything. If I join Enhanced, I have a chance of not losing everything.” “My back was against the wall, so I had to reopen that conversation to see if it was a viable option.”

In addition to the $250,000 prize for first place in an event, Enhanced Games is also paying athletes salaries and offering larger bonuses to anyone who breaks the world record. Armstrong said he plans to race in the 50-meter backstroke and 100-meter freestyle events.

Armstrong said he spoke to World Aquatics officials before signing with the Enhanced Games, but did not receive a definitive answer as to how the federation would rule on his eligibility.

“No one really knows what’s going to happen, and no one will give me an answer as to what’s going to happen,” Armstrong said. “So I can play by the rules and take a chance because waiting won’t give me an answer.”

World Aquatics amended its bylaws last year in response to the Enhanced Games – a change that was initially explained by Armstrong and others as a complete ban When competing in both types of events. In a news release explaining its new rule, the organization said that any person who “endorses, supports or participates” in events such as the “Enhanced Games” will not be eligible to hold a position with World Aquatics or compete in any World Aquatics competitions.

“Those who enable doped sport are not welcome at World Aquatics or our events,” federation president Hussein Al Musallam said in the release.

However, the actual clause may be more permissive than it initially appears. Armstrong said, after consulting lawyers, he believed the ban would only apply if he stopped following World Aquatics rules and regulations – including its drug-testing protocols – at any time before the event.

World Aquatics spokesperson Torin Kuss told ESPN that the federation will decide how to implement the new bylaw on a case-by-case basis. When presented with Armstrong’s specific case, Kuss said that “speculating on ‘what-if’ scenarios would be counterproductive and unfair to World Aquatics.”

USA Swimming, which selects Team USA’s Olympic roster, did not respond to a request for comment.

Armstrong competed in the last two Summer Olympics and earned gold medals as part of Team USA’s 4×100 relay teams in Tokyo and Paris. He held the world record in 50 meter backstroke for more than a year in 2022 and 2023.

armstrong is one of them many former olympians and world-record holders who have signed up to compete first advanced game May 24 in Las Vegas. Around 40 athletes will compete in swimming, running and weightlifting in the event. Most of those athletes are training in Abu Dhabi this spring, where they will use substances such as testosterone, growth hormone and peptides as part of a clinical trial approved by the UAE Department of Health.

Backed by several major billionaire funders, the organization says it wants to push the limits of human achievement and provide better resources and compensation to athletes in the Olympic Games. The company plans to make money by using the competition to promote its online marketplace for purchasing performance-enhancing drugs.