{"id":447499,"date":"2020-09-24T15:10:56","date_gmt":"2020-09-24T22:10:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=447499"},"modified":"2020-09-24T15:10:56","modified_gmt":"2020-09-24T22:10:56","slug":"swim-poll-of-the-week-52-disagree-with-swimming-australia-withdrawing-swimmers-from-isl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/swim-poll-of-the-week-52-disagree-with-swimming-australia-withdrawing-swimmers-from-isl\/","title":{"rendered":"Swim Poll of the Week: 52% Disagree With Swimming Australia Withdrawing Swimmers From ISL"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is the Swim Poll of the Week for Thursday September 24, 2020, sponsored by Strechcordz Swim Training Products<\/a>. In our last poll, we wanted to know:\u00a0Do you agree with Swimming Australia withdrawing its swimmers from the ISL over COVID-19 concerns<\/strong>?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The biggest names in Australian swimming were not prepared to risk career ending health issues or their places on next year\u2019s Olympic team with their decisions to withdraw from this year\u2019s multi-million dollar\u00a0International Swimming League<\/a>\u00a0(ISL) \u2013 scheduled for Budapest next month.<\/p>\n

Dual Olympian\u00a0Rob Woodhouse<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 general manager of the London Roar and Queensland-based coach\u00a0Dean Boxall<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u2013 a coach on the US-based Cali Condors have spoken exclusively to\u00a0Swimming World<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>after a tumultuous day which saw the majority of the Australian Dolphins reluctantly withdraw from the second season of the League.<\/p>\n

Swimming Australia\u2019s advice from the travel and health perspective was to stay home \u2013 but at the end of the day the swimmers and the coaches had to weigh up all the information and all the risks and make their individual decisions.<\/p>\n

The domino effect began last Wednesday morning Australian time when Olympic champion and London Roar co-captain Kyle Chalmers<\/strong>\u00a0posted on social media that injury would prevent him from taking his place in the Australian dominant London-based Roar team.<\/p>\n

And by the end of the day it had become clear that his fellow Roar team mates, including\u00a0Cate Campbell<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Bronte Campbell<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Emma McKeon<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0as well as the Australian-based US Condor connection \u2013 which included\u00a0Ariarne Titmus<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Mitch Larkin\u00a0<\/strong>had all confirmed they were not prepared to risk travelling to Europe \u2013 with so much at stake \u2013 all pulling out.<\/p>\n

Others staying at home are ISL season one world record holder\u00a0Minna Atherton, Holly Barratt, Alex Graham, Matt Wilson and Elijah Winnington<\/strong>\u00a0(all from the London Roar) and\u00a0Jack Cartwright, Meg Harris<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Clyde Lewis\u00a0<\/strong>from the Cali Condors and\u00a0Mollie O\u2019Callaghan<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Abbey Harkin<\/strong>\u00a0(NY Breakers) as well as coaches\u00a0Peter Bishop<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0David Lush<\/strong>\u00a0(Roar) and Boxall (Condors).<\/p>\n

It leaves both the Roar \u2013 finalists in the inaugural League last year and the emerging Condors both decimated without the Swimming Australia athletes.<\/p>\n