The International Swimming League, an upstart swimming league backed by Russian billionaire Konstantin Grigorishin, announced on Friday evening that a number of European swimming superstars met earlier in the day in Luxembourg to continue discussions about the formation of an athletes’ association. The meetings took place around the backdrop of this weekend’s EuroMeet in Luxembourg.
- See Also: Day 1 recap of 2019 Euro Meet
Katinka Hosszu, Sarah Sjostrom, Ben Proud, Georgia Davies, Fabio Scozzoli, and Luca Dotto were the named attendees in the ISL release. While the ISL and the athletes’ association are two separate entities (that, ultimately, will sit on opposite sides of the table in league negotiations), the association is being formed at the urging of Grigorishin and the ISL executive. Grigorishin has also offered services for the initial management of the athletes’ association, including in potential negotiations with FINA for distribution of revenue.
Quotes from involved athletes:
- Katinka Hosszu – “It is happening. It is really happening! And we cannot be more excited.”
- Luca Dotto – “The partnership could help young swimmers and their team too because that is a great thing to know for everybody! It is very important that the people will understand that we are creating something not only for our benefits (like to have more money) but even for the future of our sport; that is our main goal!”
- Fabio Scozzoli – “This partnership is something we really need to keep our sport on a professional level! A level that we deserve! We are really close to that and swimming will finally change!”
- Sarah Sjostrom – “I love how many of us are coming together to support this initiative. It is great for our sport!”
- Georgia Davies – “If we stick together, we are powerful!”
