Olympic swimmers who took legal action against the governing body in the United States are on track to receive a substantial financial settlement for their participation in a non-sanctioned series. World Aquatics has announced a fund totaling $4.6 million USD that will be allocated to swimmers who competed in the International Swimming League (ISL) event in Turin in 2018 and during the 2019 ISL season.
The legal dispute arose when three prominent swimmers – Katinka Hosszu from Hungary, and Americans Tom Shields and Michael Andrew – filed an antitrust lawsuit in California in 2018 after the governing body, formerly known as FINA, attempted to block the ISL from operating independently. Notable Canadian swimmers such as Penny Oleksiak, Kylie Masse, and Sydney Pickrem were among the many athletes who participated in the ISL series.
Initially, the Lausanne-based governing body threatened to ban swimmers who took part in the ISL event, which aimed to offer higher prize money. The competition from the rival event prompted the governing body to raise prize money for athletes at its own championships and meetings.
World Aquatics stated that the settlement fund aims to ensure that swimmers are adequately compensated following the 2018 and 2019 ISL seasons. The organization eagerly awaits court approval of the settlement.
The ISL series was put on hold in 2022 due to the repercussions of the Russian military invasion of Ukraine. World Aquatics President Husain al Musallam expressed satisfaction in being able to provide significant financial support to the swimmers who were left in a lurch by their commitment to the ISL.
Although the financial settlement is in progress, a separate lawsuit initiated by the ISL remains unresolved, as confirmed by World Aquatics.