World Aquatics bans athletes who participate in Enhanced Games

New York Times

04-06-2025

World Aquatics has banned any athlete, coach or official from participating in their events if they have endorsed or competed in the Enhanced Games.
The federation, that governs swimming, diving, high diving, artistic swimming, water polo, and open water swimming, is the first to adopt a no tolerance policy in the face of the new competition that allows athletes to compete and train using performance-enhancing drugs.
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The new World Aquatics bylaw came into effect on Tuesday. The federation president Husain Al Musallam said in a statement: 'Those who enable doped sport are not welcome at World Aquatics or our events.
'This new bylaw ensures that we can continue to protect the integrity of our competitions, the health and safety of our athletes, and the credibility of the global aquatics community.'
This comes after Enhanced claimed Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev set two 50m freestyle world records in May, earning a $1m bonus in the process.
The president and founder of Enhanced Games, Dr Aron D'Souza, responded by questioning the intentions behind the ban.
He said in a statement to The Athletic: 'This ban isn't about protecting athletes. It's about protecting a monopoly.
'World Aquatics hasn't paid its athletes for decades. Now, faced with real competition and real momentum, they've fallen back on threats and bullying tactics.'
He maintained that the Enhanced Games will give the athlete something that the federations cannot: 'At the Enhanced Games, athletes have what traditional federations never gave them: choice, fairness, and real money.
'We offer a medically supervised, safety-focused, science-driven arena – where performance is rewarded, not policed by outdated ideology.'
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has condemned the new competition as a 'dangerous and irresponsible concept'.
The organisation said the new competition would jeopardize the health and well-being of athletes — their main responsibility — as it seeks to 'promote the use of powerful substances and methods by athletes for the purposes of entertainment and marketing.'
Enhanced has been financed by a venture capital fund backed by Donald Trump Jr and billionaire Peter Thiel since it was founded in 2023.
The controversial organisation's inaugural competition is due to take place in Las Vegas between May 21-24, 2026 and spans five sports: track and field, swimming, gymnastics, weightlifting, and combat sports.
(Manan Vatsyayana/AFP via Getty Images)