Daniel Wiffen says he would never consider joining the controversial Enhanced Games.
On Tuesday, it was confirmed that Max McCusker has become the second Irish swimmer to join the controversial competition that permits athletes to take banned performance-enhancing drugs under medical supervision.
McCusker follows in the wake of Shane Ryan who announced his involvement in October.
The 26-year-old is now among the 11 swimmers, three weight lifters and three sprinters that have committed to the Enhanced Games, with the first staging set for May 2026 at a purpose-built complex in Las Vegas.
The venue 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 will 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.
Reacting to the development, Paris 2024 Olympic gold medalist Daniel Wiffen said he understood the monetary motivation for participants in the Enhanced Games but feels the competition is so far removed from the competitive swimming that he knows so well and would never been on his own agenda.
"To be honest, my view on the Enhanced Games is it's a separate sport. It's nothing to do with swimming. It's like comparing athletics and swimming in my opinion, " he told RTÉ Radio 1's Inside Sport.
"It's completely different. They're doing their own thing and that's just how it is. I personally would never do it.
"But I understand why the two swimmers have gone and done it. They've gone for the money and that's fair enough."
Daniel Wiffen and Swim Ireland CEO Sarah Keane also spoke to RTÉ Sport on Tuesday about the Swimming Pool Gap Analysis Report which highlights critical gaps in Ireland's swimming pool infrastructure.
Wiffen, who also described Swim Ireland's 'Swimming Pool Gap Analysis Report' as eye-opening, was speaking after a week which saw Team Ireland's swimmers excel at the European Short Course Championships in Lublin, Poland.
While the Magheralin man won gold in the men's 1500m freestyle and bronzes in the 800m and 400m, it was also a successful week for his team-mates.
Ellen Walshe clinched gold in the women's 200m butterfly and silver in the 200m individual medley, John Shortt took home gold from the 200m backstroke and Evan Bailey shared bronze in the 200m freestyle.
"It was amazing. I've never experienced a team atmosphere like it," Wiffen said.
"We heard the national anthem three times in the course of the week, one of them being me on the podium.
"But seven medals from a group of athletes all under 24 years of age is incredible.
"This team is going to go far and if you were in Poland or if you know the people on this team, you know that we've got big aspirations and we're really heading towards the summer championships and ready to take it head on."
As for Wiffen's plans going into 2026, the 24-year-old has career grand slam thoughts on his mind.
"Actually, 2026 is the year where I complete my career grand slam," he said.
"If I win the Commonwealth Games, if I win the European Long Course and if I win the World Short Course, then I've made the grand slam.
"I don't know if there's many males that have done that in a while, so it's going to be quite interesting. But that's my goal."
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