Swimmer Cam McEvoy says ‘zero dollars’ for setting world record at China Open ‘ludicrous’
Paris Olympic champion compares situation with what winners at much-criticised Enhanced Games in May will earn
Australian swimming star Cameron McEvoy has decried the lack of prize money to go with breaking a world record that stood for more than 16 years as “ludicrous”.
On Friday, McEvoy clocked 20.88 seconds in the 50m freestyle at the China Open, breaking a world record set by Brazilian César Cielo wearing a now-banned polyurethane suit by 0.03 seconds.
“It’s crazy to think that to get a world record without a suit, and without any performance-enhancing drugs, so as a clean athlete, the bonus is zero dollars,” McEvoy, who is the 2024 Olympic champion and world title holder in the event, said on Wednesday.
“Whereas, if I went an easier route, [and] I put a suit on which can easily drop half a second, then there’s the performance-enhancing drug side of things, which I’ve no idea what happens there, but I’m sure it’s an improvement, you get not only a million US dollar bonus ... but there’s also US$250,000 prize money for first place, which you would get on top of the world record,” McEvoy said.
The champion referred to the much-criticised Enhanced Games, due to debut in May, where competitors will try to set world records with the aid of performance-enhancing drugs.
According to organisers, the winner of each individual event will win US$250,000, while a US$1 million reward is on the table for anyone setting a new world record in the 50m freestyle swimming and the 100m athletics events.