FINA Funding Follows International Swim League With A $6m COVID-19 Relief For Feds & Tokyo202One Olympic Athletes

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COVID-19 relief is being handed to swimmers at a time of empty lanes and blocks - Photo Courtesy: Becca Wyant

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FINA funding of almost US$6.5m has been announced in a global COVID-19 support plan “to assist athletes who will compete in the Tokyo Olympic Games next summer”, the International federation confirmed in a statement issued today.

The move follows the International Swimming League‘s decision in April to allocated $11m to the 320-plus swimmers in its 10 international teams as part of measures to tide athletes and programs over during the coronavirus pandemic.

A recipient of a loan from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) designed to help it through times of “hardship”, the international governing body for aquatics sports noted that the allocation of FINA funding – from money generated by the show provided by the excellence of athletes, coaches and others, which attract sponsorship, partnership and broadcast-rights money to federations – to its membership of 200-plus nations (not all of which will send participants to Tokyo 202One) fall into “three distinctive programmes”, namely:

  • $4 million in grants for a minimum of 160 National Federations to provide support to athlete training, competition, and living expenses.
  • $460,000 in grants to the five Continental Organisations to enable supplemental resources to athletes.
  • $2 million to athletes selected to participate in the FINA Scholarship Programme, either at FINA Training Centres or at National Federation training facilities.

The FINA funding programme is designed to “support elite athletes with medal prospects, as well as Universality athletes from developing countries”, FINA stated.

It its statement, the international federation noted of its FINA funding scheme:

“FINA has created and augmented these programmes to express its unwavering commitment to aquatic athletes who continue to endure hardships related to their training and competitive opportunities due to the pandemic. Previously, FINA made an extraordinary commitment to redistribute over a four-year period a substantial portion of its Olympic-related revenue. However, because so many previous plans by the National Federations and Continental Organisations cannot take place due to travel restrictions, FINA has enabled a high level of flexibility in utilisation of its financial support, with strong emphasis on direct assistance to athletes.

Additionally, the FINA Scholarship Programme will include 100 athletes from National Federations that do not currently have athletes with Olympic Qualifying Standards – 80 swimmers and 20 divers – and enable intensive training at FINA Training Centres in Senegal, Thailand, Russia, and the United States. Each athlete is eligible for up to $2000 USD monthly for living and training expenses, with world class coaches in outstanding facilities.”

In April, the International Swimming League announced an $11 million programme of support for elite swimmers. Unlike the ISL money donated by founder Konstantin Grigorishin, FINA funds extend down the ranks to development swimmers. Unlike the FINA scheme, ISL funds go directly to athletes, not via their federations.

The ISL also has a plan to stage a 5-week ISL Solidarity Camp, which may take place in October and November this year depending on developments in the COVID-19 pandemic, and monthly wages up to the door of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games shunted into 2021.

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ISL Solidarity Program – A helping hand, Cate Campbell and London Roar head coach Mel Marshall – Photo Courtesy: International Swimming League

The ISL scheme in brief:

  • International Swimming League Solidarity Program to pay swimmers first regular wage in their sport: 320 athletes to receive a minimum of $1500 a month, with some of the biggest achievers in the sport down to receive up to $3,500 a month.
  • $11m set aside for wages, bonuses and prize money
  • All 10 ISL teams, swimmers, coaches and support staff invited – at ISL expense – to 5-week solidarity camp in October-November for training and competition as a catalyst to reunite the world swimming community 
  • Reality TV concept for the camp may have commercial spin-offs to further help fund swimming and swimmers at a time when subsidised funding of the sport may take a hit because of the economic downturn caused by the pandemic

 

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Troyy
Troyy
3 years ago

Considering the number of federations and athletes worldwide this is chump change.

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