International Swimming League set to make comeback in London this year
London is to host the return of the International Swimming League (ISL), with a lucrative one-night All-Star Match set to take place at the Aquatics Centre in December.
The team series ran for three seasons and sparked a civil war between swimmers including Britain’s Adam Peaty and the sport’s governing body, but has been on pause since 2022.
The ISL All-Star Match will offer a record prize pot for a single night of swimming competition, organisers said.
Participants have not been announced yet but previous iterations featured Olympic champions including Peaty, Caeleb Dressel and Katinka Hosszu.
“The All-Star Match is the moment swimming has been waiting for: the world’s best athletes, back on the ISL stage,” said commissioner Ben Allen.
“London is the perfect host city, with a venue built for nights like this and in front of one of the world’s great sporting audiences. We cannot wait to give fans a night to remember.”
The competition is due to take place at the London 2012 Olympics venue in Stratford on Saturday 19 December.
Disruptor ISL’s colourful history
The ISL’s comeback is the latest episode in the short but colourful history of a sports property launched and funded by Ukrainian billionaire Konstantin Grigorishin.
His vision of an elite, high-production spectacle that would promote swimming and sustain its athletes between Olympic Games sent shockwaves through the sport.
Governing body FINA initially threatened to ban any swimmers who participated in the ISL from the Olympics but relented in the face of multiple lawsuits.
An eight-team first season was held in late 2019 and Grigorishin managed to salvage the 2020 campaign despite Covid by holding its five-week run in a medical bubble in Budapest.
The third season proved its last as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine led to sanctions and asset freezes imposed on Grigorishin, crippling the ISL.
After a commercial restructure to ease its reliance on a benefactor, its new leadership last year announced plans to relaunch in 2026.