World swim body to pay $4.6M legal settlement to athletes who took part in breakaway series

LAUSANNE Switzerland AP Olympic swimmers who challenged the sport s governing body in a U S court are set to get a multi-million dollar settlement for athletes who took part in a breakaway series World Aquatics is setting up a fund of million that will be distributed to swimmers who signed contracts to compete at the International Swimming League ISL event in Turin in and in the ISL season the governing body announced Monday in a announcement Three Olympic and world champion swimmers Katinka Hosszu of Hungary and Americans Tom Shields and Michael Andrew filed an antitrust suit in California in after the governing body then known as FINA tried to stop the ISL operating outside its control The Lausanne-based governing body had at first threatened to ban swimmers who competed in the Ukraine-backed event which aimed to pay higher prize money The rival event pushed the governing body to increase prize money for athletes at its own world championships and World Cup meetings The settlement fund will ensure swimmers are more than fully compensated following the and ISL seasons World Aquatics revealed Monday adding it looks forward to the court s approval of the settlement The ISL series was paused in in fallout from the Russian military invasion of Ukraine World Aquatics president Husain al Musallam declared a large number of of the swimmers who committed to the ISL were badly let down However I am pleased that we are completely able to step in and provide this important sum of money for the swimmers he declared in a message A separate lawsuit by ISL remains pending World Aquatics disclosed AP sports https apnews com hub sports Source