DRESSEL, SJOSTROM HEADLINE HIGH STAKES ISL GRAND FINAL IN LAS VEGAS

The stage has been set, and now it’s time for the International Swimming League’s first-ever champion to be crowned at the league’s Grand Final in Las Vegas.

There has been a substantial amount of prize money on the line for the athletes throughout the regular season, but the stakes will increase significantly in Vegas. The prize for the top point-scorer from the match will be doubled, as the “Las Vegas MVP” will earn $10,000 USD. Additionally, the top scorer from the entire season, the “ISL Season MVP”, will win an incredible $50,000 USD.

In total, there will be nearly $1.5 million in prize money available.

The match will feature the top-two European clubs this season — the London Roar and Energy Standard — along with the two top-two US clubs — the Cali Condors and LA Current. This will be the first meeting of the season for the Roar and the Condors, and also the first matchup that features Energy Standard and the Current.

After a very close showdown at the European Derby, Energy Standard prevailed over London to make them the only undefeated club coming into the finale. On the other end of the spectrum is Cali, who has yet to place first in a match after a pair of single-digit losses to Energy and LA in Naples and College Park.

The 2019 International Swimming League matches are broadcast on television live, delayed-live and via dedicated highlights programming in countries throughout the world. Details of regular broadcasters by country appear below. For precise details of broadcaster coverage please check local listings.

Where to watch by region

• United States: ESPN3
• Europe and Asia-Pacific: Eurosport
• Australia: 7plus
  • New Zealand: Spark
• Canada: CBC
• Latin America: Claro Sport
• Brazil: TV Globo
• Caribbean: FlowSports
• Israel: Sports 1
• Middle East/North Africa: Bein Sport

When to watch by region

• Local Las Vegas time (Pacific) – 1:00 p.m.
• New York, NY (Eastern) – 4:00 p.m.
• London, UK – 9:00 p.m.
• Tokyo, Jpn. – 6:00 a.m. (next day)
• Sydney, Aus. – 8:00 a.m. (next day)

Event Schedule

Format Details

• 4 teams (London Roar, Energy Standard, Cali Condors, LA Current)
• The suggested size of each club’s traveling roster is 24 athletes (12 men & 12 women), plus 4 substitutes (2 men & 2 women), for a total of 28.
• 2 athletes will compete per event per club.
• 2 relay teams will compete per relay event per club.
• The winning club will score 4 standings points, 2nd place earns 3 points, 3rd place earns 2 points, and 4th place earns 1 point.

Scoring Rules

• The scoring for each individual event will be as follows (double that of the regular-season meets):

Individual Prize Money

• Relays score double points; each swimmer receives 25% of team’s relay points.
• Skin races score triple points.
• In the final, athletes earn $1,000 per point.

More ISL Info

Over 100 Olympians are represented in the ISL, including 41 Olympic gold medalists from the 2016 Olympic Games. The ISL is groundbreaking in the swimming community as athletes will be paid both a salary and earn prize money based on their individual and club finishes. About $180,000 in prize money has been awarded at each regular season match, with nearly $1.5 million in prize money available for December’s championship meet in Las Vegas. Men and women share equal prize money.

Experts in television, digital media and sports entertainment provide a compelling backdrop for the swimmers with cutting-edge production, live show and fan engagement.

The Las Vegas Grand Final will feature some of the best swimmers in the sport, including Caeleb Dressel, Sarah Sjostrom, Adam Peaty and Nathan Adrian.

Dressel has been the most electrifying swimmer of the inaugural ISL season, winning match MVP in both of his appearances with record-setting point totals. The 23-year-old Cali Condor is undeniably one of the biggest stars in the sport after his six gold, eight medal performance at the 2019 World Championships.

Joining Dressel on the Condors is fellow American Lilly King, who is a perfect 9-for-9 so far in the women’s breaststroke events in the ISL and will look to finish the season off undefeated.

Energy Standard’s Sjostrom has been key to keeping her club undefeated throughout the season, leading the league in points as she looks to win the $50K bonus for season MVP. The 26-year-old Swede is extremely versatile across the freestyle and butterfly events, and is the owner of six individual world records — the most of anyone in the sport.

Her teammate Chad Le Clos comes in with the hot hand after winning match MVP at the European Derby in London, and will be a threat to win all three male butterfly events.

Peaty, a member of the London Roar, is the most dominant breaststroker on the planet, having won 2016 Olympic gold in the men’s 100 breast along with three consecutive World Championship titles in the 50 and 100 breast.

Joining Peaty on this stacked London team are female backstroke dynamo Minna Atherton, the only swimmer to set a world record in the ISL, and her fellow Aussie Kyle Chalmers, who is the reigning Olympic champion in the men’s 100 free and will pose a big threat to Cali’s Dressel.

Adrian, the 2012 Olympic gold medalist in the 100 free, leads a strong LA Current club full of top-tier American athletes. Among those is Matt Grevers, the 2012 Olympic champ in the 100 backstroke, and Ryan Murphy, the reigning gold medalist in the 100 and 200 back.

Vegas Meet Details:

• Who: London Roar, Energy Standard, Cali Condors, LA Current

• What: International Swimming League Grand Finale

• Where: Mandalay Bay 3950 S Las Vegas Blvd Las Vegas, NV 89119, United States

• When: Saturday, December 20, 2019 @ 1:00PM & Sunday, December 21th, 2019 @ 1:00PM. Each Session is scheduled to run 2 hours.

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 3,800-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.

Key Dates:

5-6 October 2019 – IU Natatorium, Indianapolis, 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, Maryland, USA

23-24 November 2019 – London Aquatic Centre, Great Britain

20-21 December 2019 – Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, Las Vegas, USA

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

Media Contact: James Mulligan ([email protected])

International Swimming League Ltd

Alfred-Escher-Strasse 17, 8002 Zurich, Switzerland