The ISL’s Return Raises the Same Unanswered Question: Where’s the Money?!

The return of the International Swimming League is being framed as a comeback story, but for many swimmers it feels more like déjà vu, because this is the same league that left athletes unpaid, including Shane Ryan, who has publicly said he is still owed $50,000, and yet instead of settling those debts first, the ISL is now re-emerging and financially backing new projects like the College Swimming League, forcing an uncomfortable question the sport never seems willing to ask: why does swimming keep partnering with organizations that haven’t paid their athletes, how are swimmers supposed to believe they’ll be protected this time, and at what point does “bad timing” stop being an excuse and start being a pattern where ambition is rewarded, accountability is optional, and the athletes — once again — are the ones left waiting to get paid.

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