Chalmers rejects millions as American track star signs on with Enhanced Games

Australian swimming is on high alert after Olympic gold medallist Kyle Chalmers turned down a potentially “life-changing” multimillion-dollar offer to defect to the Enhanced Games as part of an audacious attempt to poach one of the country’s highest-profile swimmers.

This masthead can reveal Chalmers was secretly approached by organisers not only to compete at next year’s inaugural event in Las Vegas, but also to become an ambassador for the controversial competition.

The news of the Enhanced Games interest in Chalmers comes as the competition lands two of its biggest signings to date, with Olympic 100m silver medallist Fred Kerley from the United States and Olympic 50m freestyle silver medallist Ben Proud of Great Britain the latest athletes to sign-on.

The Enhanced Games, founded by Australian businessman Aron D’Souza, is a proposed international multi-sport event in which athletes would be allowed to take performance-enhancing substances and compete for lucrative prize money in swimming, athletics and weightlifting.

Several swimming sources, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of discussions, say Chalmers is one of the Enhanced Games’ biggest targets.

However, Kerley, who won silver at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, gold at the 2022 World Athletics Championships and bronze at the 2024 Olympics in Paris is the first American male athlete and first track athlete to sign with the Enhanced Games.

The 30-year-old, who is not competing at the 2025 World Athletics Championship currently under way in Tokyo, has been provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit for failing to notify the unit of his movements. Kerley has indicated he would appeal the decision.

“I’m looking forward to this new chapter and competing at the Enhanced Games,” Kerley said. “The world record has always been the ultimate goal of my career. This now gives me the opportunity to dedicate all my energy to pushing my limits and becoming the fastest human to ever live.”

Swimmers Megan Romano, Kristian Gkolomeev, Andrii Govorov and Josif Miladinov are among the athletes already signed-on with the Enhanced Games.

Australian Olympian James Magnussen is one of the faces of the Enhanced Games, while another former Australian representative, Brett Hawke, is the organisation’s head coach.

Chalmers, a three-time Olympian who competed for the Dolphins at the recent world championships in Singapore, was offered a three-year contract worth US$1.08 million ($1.6m), which is significantly more than he earns as an athlete in Australia.

The 27-year-old was also offered equity in the business, plus bonuses of up to US$1.5 million. Excluding equity, Chalmers stood to make about US$2.54 million ($3.8m), but declined the offer.

Sources said Enhanced Games officials were prepared to offer Chalmers significantly more for his signature, and that this was unlikely to be the last offer he receives.

Chalmers’ manager, Phoebe Rothfield of W Sports & Media, confirmed a “life-changing” offer had been made, but said her client was focused on reaching a fourth Olympic Games in 2028 in Los Angeles.

“It is life-changing money for a swimmer – or any Australian Olympic athlete, for that matter,” Rothfield said. “It could have set him and his young family up and helped with the mortgage, but Kyle said no from the onset. It was a brief discussion.

“What drives him is competing for his country, standing on the podium in the green and gold and doing the sport because he loves it.”

This masthead can reveal other Australian swimmers have also been approached by Enhanced Games organisers, who are offering US$1 million to any athlete who can break a world record in the 50m freestyle. No current Australian athletes have signed up, but some are privately tempted by the money on offer.

The prospect of Chalmers or any Australian swimming star at their peak turning their back on the Olympics would be a major blow to the sport.

In a statement, Swimming Australia said: “As a sport, we believe in clean and fair sport, and that is central to what we value as an organisation and as athletes.”

Chalmers this year called on World Aquatics to deliver greater prizemoney for athletes and said he would not begrudge Australian swimmers following Magnussen to the Enhanced Games once they have retired from international competition.

“James is one of my really great mates, so I’m definitely not going to knock him for going across there,” Chalmers said in June.

“Something that’s hard in our sport is there’s not a huge amount of money or prizemoney on offer, and we kind of do it for the love of it.

“I’m not going to be a person that slams swimmers for wanting to go across and make some money and give themselves a better opportunity of life or set their families up. If they want to make that choice, then good on them.”

Meanwhile, Proud’s defection to the Enhanced Games last week has caused a stir in the UK, with Aquatics GB slamming the move.

“We would like to make it clear that Aquatics GB stands behind the true values of clean sport and any entity that does not uphold this ideal has no credibility in competitive sport,” read a statement.

Proud, who has not decided whether he will take performance-enhancing drugs or remain clean while competing, told the BBC last week it would take “13 years of winning a world championship title” to earn the same money as a single race at the Enhanced Games.

World Aquatics has introduced a bylaw banning athletes, coaches and officials from its events if they take part in the Enhanced Games.

However, Enhanced Games organisers last month filed an $800 million lawsuit against several major sports bodies, claiming they were illegally blocking athletes from competing.

The Enhanced Games will fund legal action for any clean athlete who wants to compete in Las Vegas and fight their ban, enforced by World Aquatics, in court.