CEO Kevin Ring Gets Real About State of USA Swimming, How We Will Move Forward

SwimSwam's Editor-in-Chief, Braden Keith, sat down with the new CEO of USA Swimming, Kevin Ring, for a candid conversation. Keith asked Ring 10 hard questions about the state of USA Swimming and what he will do to address those issues. Ring answered honestly and with some breaking news peppered in. This includes raising APA rates (athlete salaries) for the first time in over a decade and holding an SCM meet to help select rosters for SCM World Championships. 0:00 Kevin Ring Introduction 2:26 Katie Ledecky Invite 5:18 Not Having a Swimming Background 8:30 Bringing Diversity to USA Swimming 10:25 Raising Salaries for USAS Athletes 13:33 Generating Revenue as a Professional Sport 20:50 Repairing Relationships with Athletes 28:11 2025 World Championships 33:09 USAS Membership Decrease 42:10 Membership vs Olympic Success 45:24 SCM Qualification Meet in 2026 46:44 USAS Relationship with NCAA 49:05 Foreign Athletes Training in the USA