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

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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’ll be doing so without the assistance of any performance-enhancing drugs. 

Armstrong, the two-time Olympian and 25-year-old Ohio native, told ESPN that he intends to compete in the Olympic-style games this May without the use of banned substances. He explained that his decision ultimately came down to a financial one. 

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 do join Enhanced, I have a chance at not losing everything," Armstrong said, explaining that in order to keep 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 after losing a main sponsor abruptly last year, he needed to find a new way to continue swimming. The Enhanced Games are set to take place in Las Vegas, where rewards of up to $1 million are being offered.

But World Aquatics, the sport’s governing body, came out last year with an amendment to its bylaws that would ban any athlete from the sport if they were to compete 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 after the decision in June. The new rule states anyone who "support, endorse, or participate in sporting events