- A retired swimmer has accepted an offer to compete in the Enhanced Games.
- He agreed to "juice to the gills" for a $1 million prize for beating a swimming record.
A retired swimmer has accepted an offer to compete at the Enhanced Games, an Olympic-style competition that welcomes the use of performance-enhancing drugs, making him the first athlete in the world to publicly flag his interest.
More than that, James Magnussen said he would "juice up to the gills" to break a swimming record, leading to him accepting an offer of $1 million from the organizers if he successfully achieves the feat.
Magnussen, who officially retired from professional swimming in 2019, appeared on the "Hello Sport" podcast on Wednesday.
Addressing the Enhanced Games's substantial funding, which has recently received the backing of Peter Thiel and several other wealthy investors, Magnussen told the podcasters what it would take for him to compete.
Magnussen said: "If they put up a $1 million for the 50-freestyle world record, I'll come on board as their first athlete."
He went on: "I'll juice to the gills, and I'll break it within six months."
Magnussen has a personal best of 21.52 seconds in the 50m, which he achieved in 2013, though he's better known for his 100m efforts.
The current drug-free record, held by Brazilian César Cielo, is 20.91 seconds.
The Enhanced Games, founded by businessman Aron D'Souza last year, would not be subject to World Anti-Doping Agency rules.
Consequently, it's been dubbed the "Olympics on steroids."
A day after Magnussen named his price, D'Souza appeared on Sydney's SEN radio to confirm the offer of a prize.
SEN EXCLUSIVE | @james_maggie91 agrees to compete in the @enhanced_games after founder agrees to a $1 million prize if he breaks a world record. #EnhancedGames pic.twitter.com/JBZanQtcLn
— Vossy & Brandy SEN 1170AM Sydney (@VossyBrandySEN) February 8, 2024
"People like James deserve to earn millions for the extraordinary feats they have accomplished, and we are willing to do so," D'Souza said.
He offered the $1 million prize to "guarantee for James that when he comes to compete at the first Enhanced Games that if he breaks the 50-freestyle world record, that million is for him."
Magnussen responded on the show, saying he would take up the offer, but that he wanted to approach it responsibly, which he said would involve seeking advice, taking the right supplements, and getting a good team behind him.
Magnussen did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
A representative for D'Souza told BI that a conference has been arranged for Friday to further discuss the offer.