To the horror, losses and senselessness of any war are added the lateral interests that are touching. It is not that different in the current warlike conflict and in its repercussions in the world of sport.
While most of society is focused on the omnipresent soccer and the unintended and possible consequences for the next World Cup, very important sports such as swimming, they also feel its tail.
Is that the Russian-Ukrainian millionaire Konstantin Grigorishin, at least material alma mater of the new ISL (International Swimming League), has just announced that payments to swimmers, participants in the most recent ISL competitions, reserved for a world elite of little more than 300 athletes.
The competition that had adopted an unconventional format for a individual sport of time and mark, as it is the teams and the victory by points and not by records, had not yet deserved and despite the unprecedented procedure no criticism in the world of technicians and swimmers, very presumably because of the balsamic effect of money.
However, and with the first massive defection in the payments, the voices of some swimmers are beginning to be heard, although not yet of some star, but that of the members of the less powerful teams, such as Aly Tetzloff of the Tokyo Frog Kings. He not only complained that he had not received any payment since last October, but also that He denounces that, on the contrary, the main stars of the best teams have already been paid.
An embarrassment until today hidden by the same participating swimmers. If the default situation is not quickly reversed, the ISL runs a serious risk since its raison d’être and format appeal for now only to economic benefit of the invited swimmers, or at least of the sports heavyweights.
* Former National Sports Director.