Ben Proud has become the first British athlete to withdraw from Olympic competition in order to compete in the Enhanced Games.

The Games, launched in 2023 and due to hold its inaugural event next year, have no doping controls and also encourage the use of other enhancements like the so-called “super-suits” which have been banned by the Olympics.

Proud, 30, won 50m freestyle silver in the Paris Olympics and came second in the same event at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore last month.

But he revealed on Instagram on Wednesday that he was “ready to move on and embrace something new”.

“For 15 years, swimming has defined me. It has shaped my decisions, my sacrifices, and the direction of my life,” Proud wrote.

“Every move I made – where I lived, how I trained, what I gave up

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