On the heels of the news that Americans Michael Andrew, Tom Shields and Hungarian Katinka Hosszu have filed a proposed class action lawsuit against FINA for violating U.S. antitrust laws, South African Chad Le Clos has made his opinion on the International Swim League controversy known as well.
Echoing fellow international swimmer Cate Campbell’s opinion on the FINA/International Swim League (ISL) conflict, as well as World Record holder Adam Peaty‘s call for swimming modernization, Le Clos states that he ‘is disappointed that our sport is not open to change.’
Per his Instagram post below, the 26-year-old Olympic champion states, “I have always supported FINA at the World Championships and the World Cups. I acknowledge the role of both in my career. But I – like many other athletes – am worried about the future.”
Le Clos continues, “Outside of the Olympics and World Championships – and a few good regional/national events – swimming needs innovation. We need to create different media and commercial opportunities. How many new global partners invested in our great sport in 2017 or 2018?
“That is why I will support the International Swimming League in 2019 and beyond. It will benefit swimming with a new dynamic approach. Why should athletes not shape their own series like so many other Olympic sports? This will not damage the best of the current competitions which are Federation run.”
Le Clos is competing at the Short Course World Championships in Hangzhou this week and concludes by stating he will not discuss this matte further until the end of the competition.
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“quae sunt Caesaris, Caesari, et quae sunt Dei, Deo ”
Finally I’m reading a sober opinion: That is why I will support the International Swimming League in 2019 and beyond. It will benefit swimming with a new dynamic approach. Why should athletes not shape their own series like so many other Olympic sports? This will not damage the best of the current competitions which are Federation run.”