By Terin Frodyma on SwimSwam
We are now a few days removed from the first Enhanced Games, which saw millions of dollars paid out to athletes in Las Vegas, including Shane Ryan, who came away with a whopping $200,000.
Ryan gave an interview to the Night Swim Podcast one week ago, before the start of the Enhanced Games, and notably drew comparisons between the Enhanced Games and the China Open, with his main point centered on the money.
The comparison was drawn while discussing Hunter Armstrong, who won $375,000 at the Enhanced Games by winning the 50 back and finishing 2nd in the 100 free as a clean athlete.
“[Armstrong] looked at the bylaws; he’s a clean athlete. He’s doing it for money,” Ryan said. “It’s the same thing when the USA swimmers went over to China to that meet where there was a money grab, it’s the same thing, the exact same thing.”
That China Open meet is the meet where Australian Cam McEvoy broke the 50 free world record in 20.88, less than a year after Kristian Gkolomeev swam an enhanced 20.89 50 free at the Enhanced Games Showcase in May of 2025. Gkolomeev recently topped McEvoy’s time at the Enhanced Games, posting 20.81 as an enhanced athlete.
The China Open did offer payouts to its contestants: $10,000 for 1st place in each race, $8,000 for 2nd, and $6,000 for 3rd, as well as up to $20,000 in appearance fees. Though a larger than normal payout in comparison to many meets, the Enhanced Games paid out it’s swimmers $250,000 for a win, $125,000 for 2nd, $75,000 for 3rd, anf $50,000 for 4th, as well as a an additional $250,000 for breaking a world record, and a $1 million bonus for a 50 free world record, which Gkolomeev earned, helping bring his event total to $1.5 million in earnings.
For reference, Gklomeev was far and away the top earner at the Enhanced Games with $1.5 million. At the China Open, Regan Smith was the top earner with $52,ooo. That total is nearly half as much as the lowest-earning swimmer at the Enhanced Games, with $100,000, which comes as a result of finishing 4th in both of their races.
Ryan then went on to say that he feels this event could push organizations, such as World Aquatics, to pay their athletes more, and he referenced the now-discontinued International Swimming League.
” I hope later down the line, us doing this actually shows that the World Aquatic should pay their athletes more. It’s just the same thing with the ISL, when the ISL came, there was an uproar… but they paid their athletes more.” Ryan added. “You don’t have a sport without the damn athletes… Like just pay them, top 16 should be paid. That’s how I view it.”
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