ONEflow Aquatics, the 2nd team to be publicly announced as a member of the International Swimming League, will launch in 2020 instead of 2019, according to the team’s official Instagram account.
The league announced ONEflow in January, when all indications were that they were still attempting a 12 team league (6 in Europe, 6 in the United States) for 2019. Instead, the league has scaled back to just 8 teams for the inaugural season: 4 in Europe, and 4 in the United States. That list includes Katinka Hosszu’s Iron Swim Bupapest; the Rome Aqua Centurions; the Energy Standard Club based out of Turkey; and the London Roar.
“We decided to wait with the launch of the team until next year because of strategic and financial reasons,” the Instagram post reads. “However, (ONEflow Aquatics) will keep working with and supporting the (International Swimming League) to ensure its success. We believe in the ISL’s vision of a better future for the sport of swimming & everyone involved in it and we’re preparing to make it happen.”
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Gesperrt is German for ‘blocked’ or ‘closed.’
The team is due to be borne out of the multi-sport Neckarsulmer Sport-Union, a German sporting club that sponsors 14 different sports and over 3,300 members, including swimming.
No German team in the 2019 season means that there is no moratorium on signing German athletes, as there is in countries that will have ISL teams this season. Marco Koch told media last week that he would be joining the New York Breakers, though the team’s GM said in a press call today that she couldn’t comment on his signing or the rumored signing of Marius Kusch.
Earlier in the day on Tuesday, the ISL announced its 4 American teams for the 2019 season as well: DC Trident, New York Breakers, Cali Condors, and Los Angeles Current.
