Australian swim star Kyle Chalmers has knocked back potential earnings of more than $3.8 million following an approach from the highly controversial Enhanced Games.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, the 27-year-old three-time Olympian was offered a lucrative deal but rejected it, and he may yet be approached again.
The Enhanced Games is on track to debut next year in Las Vegas and the divisive new venture encourages athletes to use performing enhancing drugs which would normally be banned.
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Australian swim great James Magnussen is one of the most high profile athletes already signed up to compete.
On Thursday it was announced American sprint star Fred Kerley is the latest athlete to commit to the Enhanced Games.
Kerley won bronze in the 100m sprint at last year's Paris Olympics but has been banned from the current world athletics championships after an anti-doping whereabouts violation.
"I'm looking forward to this new chapter and competing at the Enhanced Games," Kerley said.
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"The world record has always been the ultimate goal of my career.
"This now gives me the opportunity to dedicate all my energy to pushing my limits and becoming the fastest human to ever live."
If Kerley does break Usain Bolt's world record of 9.58 seconds for the 100m sprint he has been promised a bonus worth about $1.5m.
The Enhanced Games offers bonuses of $US1m to any athlete who can break a world record, although it will be illegitimate given they will have been doping.
As for Chalmers, the decision to knock back the approach allows him to continue swimming for the Dolphins.
But it will no doubt cost him plenty of cash, given the Herald reports Chalmers was promised a three-year contract worth $1.6m, plus bonuses worth as much as $1.5m. The offer also included equity in the business which could potentially net him millions more.
His manager Phoebe Rothfield told the Herald the offer would have been "life changing" for Chalmers.
"Kyle said no from the onset. It was a brief discussion," she said.
"What drives him is competing for his country, standing on the podium in the green and gold and doing the sport because he loves it."
Chalmers won gold in the 2016 Olympics 100m freestyle, and took silver in the same event in Paris last year.
Earlier this year Chalmers called on world swimming to offer more money to athletes in order to stop them joining the Enhanced Games.
World Aquatics is putting a blanket ban on any athlete or coach who signs with the Enhanced Games.
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