The Olympics used to be only for athletes, but recently they have been allowing professional athletes to participate.

Amateur

Explanation:

The word that is missing in this passage is amateur. Amateur athletes are those who participate in sports without any kind of remuneration (payment). This is the opposite to professional participants, who are paid for their performance, usually in both competition and training. In general, professional players are able to achieve a higher level of performance, as they are able to dedicate themselves exclusively to these pursuits.

why does the crew join ahab's quest without hesitation?

by your profile picture on the top right there is an icon that has two people click that and there is a search

                          - jayden