NANTERRE, FRANCE – AUGUST 02: (EDITORS NOTE: Image was captured using an underwater robotic camera.) Caeleb Dressel of Team United States competes in the Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay Heats on day seven of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Paris La Defense Arena on August 02, 2024 in Nanterre, France. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)
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The World Aquatics has reached a $4.6 million settlement to resolve a class action lawsuit with swimmers who had registered to compete in the ISL (International Swimming League) series. After filing the settlement in the federal court in San Francisco, which still awaits the judge’s approval, World Aquatics will set up a fund to provide full compensation to the swimmers who signed contracts for competing in the inaugural edition of the ISL in 2018 in Turin, as well as for the 2019 season meets.
In 2018, professional swimmers, led by named plaintiffs Tom Shields and Katinka Hosszu, backed by ISL management funding, filed an antitrust lawsuit alleging that World Aquatics, previously known as FINA, was attempting to exert control over the operations of the Ukraine-backed event beyond its authority. According to the suit, World Aquatics’ threats to suspend pro swimmers competing in the ISL affected its competition portfolio and success. Further, the lawsuit alleged that the restrictions imposed by World Aquatics led to the cancellation of the ISL Energy for Swim Meet 2018 in Turin.
According to the swimmer’s lawyers, Jeffrey Kessler, the settlement will now be a “groundbreaking relief for swimmers.” It will provide funds for 263 swimmers who did not earn any promised prize money and appearance fee from ISL events in 2018 and 2019.
Notably, the ISL series, which has been on hiatus since 2022, also prompted World Aquatics to raise the prize money. In 2024, athletes received $7.1 million in prize money, marking the highest total in the World Aquatics 116-year history.
“This lawsuit dates back to the previous management of FINA, and, regrettably, it has dragged on for many years. However, I am pleased that we can finally step in and provide this significant sum of money for the swimmers, many of whom were severely let down,” stated the World Aquatics President, Husain Al Musallam. According to Al Musallam, the settlement highlights the governing international swimming body’s commitment to the sport and its athletes.
In January 2023, the U.S. District Court in San Francisco ruled in favor of World Aquatics, finding no evidence of restraint of trade by the organization. However, in September 2024, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the decision, leading to additional litigation and ultimately a settlement.
It was one of the two class action lawsuits against World Aquatics filed in 2018. A separate lawsuit between World Aquatics and ISL remains “pending” and is scheduled to run with a jury trial in 2026
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/parasjan/2025/09/09/world-aquatics-reaches-46-million-settlement-with-swimmers-in-antitrust-lawsuit/
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