ESPN and International Swimming League Reach U.S. Rights Agreement

Over 100 Olympians are represented by the ISL, including 41 Olympic gold medals from the 2016 Olympic Games

ESPN coverage begins with first meet, October 5–6 in Indianapolis, USA

INDIANAPOLIS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The International Swimming League (ISL) and ESPN have reached an agreement to provide U.S. coverage of the world’s first team-oriented professional swimming league, with the initial meet happening October 5–6 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.

ESPN will offer live and delayed streaming coverage of all regular season matches via ESPN3, its multi-screen digital network on the ESPN App. ESPN3 is accessible to fans who receive their high-speed internet connection or video subscription from an affiliated service provider. ESPN3 is also available at no cost to U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel via on-campus educational and on-base military broadband networks.

The ISL is a ground-breaking global professional team competition launching this fall that is set to revolutionize the sport of swimming. Star swimmers will be competing on behalf of eight clubs (Cali Condors, DC Trident, Aqua Centurions, Energy Standard, LA Current, NY Breakers, Iron, and London Roar) to win points in regular season matches across Europe and the United States in October and November. The season culminates with the championship event in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, on December 20 and 21, featuring the top four teams (two U.S.-based teams, two Europe-based teams) competing to be the first-ever ISL Champions. Approximately $180,000 USD in prize money will be awarded at each regular season meet, with nearly $1.5 million USD in prize money available at the championship.

“We are very happy to work with ESPN to ensure that U.S. swim fans will be able to watch the first season of the International Swimming League,” said ISL President Konstantin Grigorishin said. “The U.S. audience is vitally important for us as we look to grow our revolutionary new league, and we are delighted that millions of sports fans in the U.S. will be able to access their favourite stars compete against other elite swimmers in the world.”

The meet dates and locations are as follows:

5-6 October 2019 – IU Natatorium, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
12-13 October 2019 – Aquatic Swimming Complex, Naples, Italy
19-20 October 2019 – The LISD Westside Aquatic Center, Lewisville, Texas, USA
26-27 October 2019 – Duna Area, Budapest, Hungary
16-17 November 2019 – Natatorium at the Eppley Recreation Center, College Park, Maryland, USA
23-24 November 2019 – London Aquatic Centre, Great Britain
20-21 December 2019 – Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA – CHAMPIONSHIP

The world’s best swimmers – approximately 75 percent of all current Olympic Games Champions – will compete in the league, with men and women sharing equal prize money and media attention as they do battle for their respective clubs. The ISL will engage sports fans each weekend with high-tempo two-hour matches, cutting-edge television production including a unique camera plan and behind-the-scenes access, and a never-before-seen live show. The U.S. will be represented by athletes on five of the eight ISL teams in the 2019 season:

U.S. athletes will be competing alongside some of the world’s finest swimmers including Adam Peaty, Sarah Sjostrom, Cate Campbell, Federica Pellegrini and Florent Manaudou. Here is the full list of competing U.S. swimmers, and their respective ISL teams:

Los Angeles Current:

Nathan Adrian
Michael Chadwick
Jack Conger
Matt Grevers
Ryan Held
Chase Kalisz
Will Licon
Ryan Murphy
Blake Pieroni
Josh Prenot
Andrew Seliskar
Tom Shields
Kathleen Baker
Amy Bilquist
Ella Eastin
Margo Geer
Annie Lazor
Katie McLaughlin
Leah Smith
Kendyl Stewart
Aly Tetzloff

DC Trident:

Zach Apple
Kevin Cordes
Abrahm DeVine
Ian Finnerty
Zane Grothe
Zach Harting
Robert Howard
Jay Litherland
Cody Miller
Giles Smith
Emma Barksdale
Lisa Bratton
Natalie Coughlin
Bethany Galat
Sarah Gibson
Madison Kennedy
Katie Ledecky

Cali Condors:

Bowen Becker
Caeleb Dressel
Nic Fink
Townley Haas
Justin Ress
John Shebat
Andrew Wilson
Mallory Comerford
Kelsi Dahlia
Hali Flickinger
Molly Hannis, Natalie Hinds
Lilly King
Melanie Margalis
Olivia Smoliga

New York Breakers:

Michael Andrew
Justin Lynch
Jacob Pebley
Ali DeLoof
Catie DeLoof
Gabby DeLoof
Emily Escbedo
Breeja Larson
Lia Neal

Aqua Centurions:

Gunnar Bentz

About the ISL: The International Swimming League is a global professional swimming competition launching in 2019 with teams in both Europe (Italy-based Aqua Centurions, France-based Energy Standard, Hungary-based Iron, and London Roar) and the United States (Cali Condors, DC Trident, LA Current, NY Breakers). The inaugural season will include matches in Indianapolis IN, Naples ITA, Lewisville TX, Budapest HUN, College Park MD, London GBR, and the championship finale at the 12,000-seat Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, NV. The ISL aims to create groundbreaking projects, in both form and content, exploring the full potential of competitive swimming while securing sustainable commercial growth in the sport.

ISL SOCIAL: Keep up with all the latest ISL news by following @iswimleague on Instagram and Twitter and @internationalswimmingleague on Facebook. Visit https://isl.global

Contacts

Media:

James Mulligan

james.mulligan@isl.global

International Swimming League Ltd

Alfred-Escher-Strasse 17, 8002 Zurich, Switzerland