‘Cash for golds can snuff out doping games’
World 200m freestyle champion Matt Richards believes only cash for Olympic gold can extinguish the Enhanced Games.
The Briton’s fellow freestyle swimmer James Magnussen has been one of the first athletes to sign up for the Enhanced Games. The Australian will deliberately dope in an attempt to win $1m (£803,000) by trying to break a world record at the controversial event.
For the first time, track and field athletes will net £40,000 should they win gold at Paris 2024 with relay teams sharing the same amount.
Richards, who was yesterday named as part of a 33-person GB squad for Paris 2024, believes Olympic prize money could help ward off such threats to the integrity of his sport.
“The Enhanced Games is offering stupid money for athletes to become drug cheats,” said Richards. “To protect the sport, protect the Olympics and everything that’s great about what we do, the governing bodies are going to have to start putting money up to stop athletes straying over to events like that.”
Richards is saving up to buy his own home, as well as preparing for a post-Games wedding with fellow swimmer Emily Large.
Critics suggest prize money would erode Olympic values and the IOC claims it invests $4.2m in grassroots sport every day. But Richards, crowned world champion in the men’s 200m freestyle last year, urged organisers to step in and redress the balance.
“Winning Olympic gold is incredible and that’s why we go, we go knowing we’re not going to make a lot of money off the back of it,” said the 21-year-old.
“The Olympics make crazy money every four years – big business – but the athletes aren’t able to win any of that. If the IOC stepped in and offered a blanket amount, that would make a lot of athletes a lot happier.”
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