Update: as of Thursday morning, the ISL has deleted the comment.
On Tuesday, the International Swimming League said in an Instagram comment that they would return in 2023 with a fourth competition season. This comment came under a post of an interview with Dutch swimmer Arno Kamminga.
“ISL Season 4 is coming back in 2023! Stay tuned!🙌” the ISL wrote.
Season 4 of the ISL was originally supposed to take place in 2022, but it got cancelled in March 2022 due to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. This conflict was significant to the ISL because the league’s $20 million+ annual budget has almost been entirely funded by Ukrainian billionaire Konstantin Grigorshin, and many of the league’s workers reside in Ukraine.
Up until the time the aforementioned Instagram comment was posted, the ISL had not made any public announcement regarding the status of their league but continued to post old race videos on social media platforms Instagram and Twitter.
This year, the ISL has gone through several technical changes. In April 2022, just two weeks after season 4’s cancellation, Ben Allen and Matt Dawe were appointed as the league commissioner and CEO respectively. There were also plans for season 4 to expand from having 18 to 24 matches, as well as the options for athletes to be considered “pro” (competing in all matches in exchange for more prize money) and “semi-pro”.
Paying athletes and vendors on time has been an ongoing issue for the league, even before the Russian invasion disrupted funding and cash flow. Sources close to the league (but not actual league staff) have recently told SwimSwam that the ISL thinks they have a plan in place to pay money still owed to swimmers from the 2021 season.
But will athletes be paid?
Narrator: “they won’t”
They just deleted that comment ! Hahahah
Don’t worry, they posted it on other comment threads as well in the past couple of weeks.
But why would they delete it ?
Cause it makes all the swimmers inquire about getting paid for the last season
Dear swim fans around the world, let’s make sure no russians are allowed to compete there unless Ukraine, including Crimea, is completely deoccupied from their military. Thanks 🙏🏼
it is not the Russians fault, that they’re in war. it is their dictator putin. just because your russian does not mean you are evil.
In the end I will mostly remember ISL as the league that ruined the swimming world’s chance to see Summer Macintosh destroy the NCAA, and I will forever be bitter about that.
No one cares about Summer Mcintosh not racing yards in the NCAA except Americans.
No one cares about this except the large group of people that do is an interesting take.
Actually, no one cares about any foreigners that swim at NCAA’s.
https://giphy.com/gifs/culture–think-hmm-d3mlE7uhX8KFgEmY
Can’t be ineligible if you don’t get paid by the ISL
And I’ve got a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you. Or some oceanfront property in Nebraska if you prefer.
This is going to screw all the swimmers and vendors in the end who haven’t been paid yet, and won’t get paid after a chapter 11 filing.
Konstantin Grigorshin’s business is multiplied by zero in Ukraine. Forget ISL. Everything related to the ISL future is being done in order to sell someone the league.
Whether you like the ISL or hate it, you can’t deny that the racing against world class fields has helped swimmers break out on the international stage (Abbie Wood, Justin Ress etc.) and perhaps helped to prolong the career of short course monsters like Kelsi Dahlia and Beryl Gastaldello.
I hope the young Aussie sprinters take the opportunity to gain confidence and hone their racing and relay skills before Paris.