Michael Phelps headlined the 13-member Class of 2023 that was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) on Saturday night in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The most decorated Olympian of all time reflected back on his last Olympics in Rio, gave credit to those who made his legendary career possible, and offered a glimpse into the future with the announcement that his wife, Nicole, is expecting the couple’s fourth baby boy.
“Let us continue to push the boundaries in what’s possible in sports,” Phelps concluded. “Let us strive for excellence — not just for own glory, but for the betterment of our future and future generations of athletes. Together we can ensure that swimming and all sports continue to evolve, thrive, and inspire. Thank you so much for the support, and may the waves of change we’ve set in motion ripple through generations, creating a brighter, more promising future for all.”
Check out Phelps’ full speech below, courtesy of Peter Lasser/Lasser Productions/ESPN+:
2023 INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING HALL OF FAME CLASS
- Swimming: Cesar Cielo (BRA)
- Swimming: Kirsty Coventry (ZIM)
- Swimming: Missy Franklin (USA)
- Swimming: Kosuke Kitajima (JPN)
- Swimming: Michael Phelps (USA)
- Artistic (Synchro): Natalia Ischenko (RUS)
- Diving: Minxia Wu (CHN)
- Water Polo: Heather Petri (USA)
- Open Water: Stephane LeCat (FRA)
- Coach: Bob Bowman (USA, swimming)
- Coach: Chris Carver (USA, synchro)
- Contributor: Sam Ramsamy (RSA)
- Paralympian: Trischa Zorn (USA)
It hasn’t even been 24 hours and it’s been taken off YouTube…
The ISHOF PR person initially told us we could post it. Then he came back to tell us that espn has exclusive rights to it for 60 days. Which means that nobody will watch it for 60 days.
Great move for the sport. This is why when people ask ESPN to show more swimming, I warn them to be careful what they wish for.
I see does this mean that during this 60 day period ESPN is going to air this themselves or are they wanting to do something else with this?
There’s no indication that ESPN is planning to air the show. You can watch the replay of the whole event streaming on ESPN+.
Anyone can watch the show on ESPN + right now. It’s On Demand for the next 60 days available to anyone. You can watch everyone’s speech.
Would be nice to see some of the other speeches, not just MP.
Dude needs a better speechwriter and to learn how to read off a teleprompter.
That is going to be some mixed age relay in summer swim.