Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey could be in line for share of US$4.6 million legal settlement
World Aquatics is setting up fund to distribute to swimmers who signed contracts to compete in International Swimming League in 2018, 2019
Olympic swimmers who challenged the sport’s governing body in a US court are set to receive a multimillion-dollar settlement for athletes who took part in a breakaway series.
“World Aquatics is setting up a fund of US$4.6 million that will be distributed to swimmers who signed contracts to compete at the International Swimming League [ISL] event in Turin in 2018 and in the 2019 ISL season,” the governing body said on Monday in a statement.
Three Olympic and world-champion swimmers – Katinka Hosszu of Hungary and Americans Tom Shields and Michael Andrew – filed an antitrust suit in California in 2018 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.
Hong Kong’s Siobhan Haughey competed in the ISL, first with the DC Trident team in 2019 – when she won four races – before joining Energy Standard the following year.