Swimmer Shane Ryan says that his decision to join the controversial Enhanced Games is financially motivated, though admits it will impact his legacy in the sport.
Sport Ireland has said it is "deeply disappointed" with the decision of the Irish swimmer to join a competition that permits athletes to take banned performance-enhancing drugs under medical supervision.
The first Enhanced Games is due to take place in May 2026 at a purpose-built complex in Las Vegas. The complex will have a four-lane 50-metre pool, a six-lane sprint track, and a weightlifting stage.
Each event will have a total prize purse of $500,000 (€432,000), with $250,000 (€216,000) awarded to the winner. There'll also be $1m (€864,000) on offer for competitors who break world records in the 100m sprint on the track and 50m freestyle in the pool.
Ryan, who retired from competitive swimming earlier this month having represented Ireland at the 2016, 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games, said the the financial opportunity was too good to turn down.
"If I try to go for the next Olympic Games, I'll be 34 years old," Ryan told RTÉ Radio 1's Drivetime show. "My shoulders and body would not probably hold up as well. I had to take a step back, and kind of reconsider.
"When I step out into the real world financially, what do I have? Sadly, Olympic athletes do not get paid well at all.
"It is a financial decision but also an opportunity for me to be part of something that's new and exciting.
"I was on €18,000 for a number of years and trying to compete and train. Trying to have a job doing that, especially with swimming, is very, very difficult.
"That's below minimum wage, especially in Ireland. I was living in Dublin for a very, very long time representing Ireland for over a decade and sacrificed friends and family, missing weddings."
Ryan insisted that he isn’t doing anything ethically wrong but admitted that, with regards his legacy, that it does feel like he is "throwing a little bit away".
"What I need to do now is actually put myself first," he said. "Financially, I'm making over six figures for nine months and then potentially making over $600,000 (€517,000) when it comes down the line.
"I'm going to be doing two events, the 100m freestyle and the 50m backstroke in May, and if I win one of those events, I get $250,000 (€216,000). Then if I win both of those, that's a half a million dollars on top of what I'm earning right now. For me, as an athlete that's 31 years old, this is like kind of a jumpstart financially.
"Financially this is a huge thing. I've honed a craft for my whole life and I want to take the opportunity. I've talked to a lot of people that are actually outside the swimming world that are super excited. They're like, 'Shane, you'd be stupid not to take this opportunity'."
With testosterone, human growth hormone and EPO are among the prohibited substances which Ryan could end up taking, Ryan said he is willing to accept the potentially harmful physical consequences of doping, while also insisting that he supports "100%" clean participation at the Olympic Games.
"Everyone thinks that once I join the Enhanced Games that I'm taking drugs - I'm not. I'm a clean athlete still right now," he said.
"We're here in Las Vegas until December and we are training completely clean. When it comes down to January to March, we're going to Abu Dhabi to do a case study, a test, where we'll be only on it for maybe at most two months, but everyone's different.
"There's always a chance that it could potentially affect [my body] in the wrong way but I'm willing to accept that choice and accept that consequence, potentially, if it does."
Former Olympian Nick O'Hare said earlier in the week that Ryan would be making a "huge mistake" in joining the Enhanced Games.
