International Swimming League to pay overdue 2021 prize money, eyes comeback

July 5 : The International Swimming League will pay more than 300 athletes long-overdue prize money owed from its 2021 season, Commissioner Ben Allen told Reuters, as the professional swimming circuit seeks to rebuild trust and relaunch after years of inactivity.

Allen said the ISL would pay all the prize money owed, with just over $7 million due to about 312 athletes who were being informed in a letter from the ISL being sent out on Sunday.  

Among the notable swimmers set to receive payments are multiple Olympic champions Ryan Murphy, Sarah Sjostrom and Summer McIntosh.

Payments will be made in four instalments of 25 per cent, with the first scheduled by the end of this year and the rest expected annually, though the league would accelerate the process if possible. Some Russian athletes will have to wait longer to receive their funds due to technical issues regarding their bank accounts. 

"We are paying our 2021 prize money," Allen said in an interview where he broke news of the payments. 

"It's unfortunate that it's been a couple of years. We've been hit by a couple of different issues - the war in Europe, COVID. We had a lot of challenges but we're at the point where we can do it now.

"It's an obligation we've always said that we're going to fulfil."

'NOT TURNING OUR BACKS'

Launched in 2019, the ISL sought to professionalise elite swimming through a team-based competition model and attracted many of the sport's biggest names. It has not held a season since 2021.

Allen said total athlete compensation for the 2021 season was north of $10 million, including roughly 25 per cent in "solidarity payments" designed to support swimmers during the COVID-19 pandemic, when competition opportunities were limited.

Those solidarity payments