American swimming icon Caeleb Dressel has a complicated take on the controversial Enhanced Games: he is against performance-enhancing drugs, but he is still going to watch. With the controversial event set for May 2026 and featuring prominent swimmers like Ben Proud and Kristian Gkolomeev, Dressel’s curiosity highlights the sport’s struggle with a spectacle built on doping.
Why Is a Clean Sport Advocate Curious About the Enhanced Games?
Caeleb Dressel has previously expressed skepticism that World Aquatics can fully prevent doping at major events, such as the Paris Olympics. While maintaining his firm opposition to drug use in swimming, the nine-time Olympic gold medalist admitted he finds the concept of the Enhanced Games compelling from a viewer’s perspective.
In a recent interview with “SwimSwam,” he explained his interest in witnessing athletes compete without restrictions.
“Yeah, I think we need to [talk about it] just because I’m interested in the sense of not that I’m going to do it, but of like, yeah, I would like for people to live longer, healthier lives. And I mean I guess I’m opposed to how they’re drawing into that. But it’s also not a bad idea,” Dressel said. “That’s going to be eye-catching if you’re watching someone juiced up breaking world records. Yeah, I’m going to watch.”
Additionally, Dressel noted that any attention, even negative, only helps the controversial competition grow. He argued that the organizers thrive on the debate and outrage it generates.
“The more I mean, if you go on their Instagram, the more that you’re, you know, commenting and saying stuff, it’s only growing what they’re doing,” he added. “If you pay no attention to it, it’ll fizzle. But this is exactly what they want. They want the controversy. They want the spotlight. So, anytime you comment or do this or that, like, it’s just making it bigger and bigger.”
In response to the event, World Aquatics has taken a hardline stance, implementing a new regulation that bans any athlete who participates in the Enhanced Games from all sanctioned competitions and activities.
What Has Caeleb Dressel Been Doing on His Break?
Following a quiet year competitively, Dressel has been enjoying a hiatus from the sport. He has not competed in a significant event since the TYR Pro Swim Series in Fort Lauderdale. In a recent Instagram post, he shared an adorable picture of his family, captioning the Halloween photo of himself, his wife, Meghan Dressel, and their two children with, “Halloweeny.”
The decorated Olympian did not compete at the 2025 World Championships or the World Cup. At his last major appearance at the Pro Swim Series, he competed in the 50-meter Freestyle and the 50-meter Butterfly, finishing in second and fourth place, respectively.