While two-time Olympic relay silver medallist Duncan Scott<\/strong> has been at the ISL in Budapest, momentous events have taken place in the outside world.<\/p>\n

The US election last week eventually saw Joe Biden declared the winner to become the new President of the United States, succeeding Donald Trump.<\/p>\n

The pandemic continues to wreak havoc around the world with the swimmer’s native Scotland being in three tiers of restrictions.<\/p>\n

In sport, the Court of Arbitration for Sport<\/strong> (CAS) has heard Russian Anti-Doping Agency<\/strong>‘s (RUSADA) appeal against the four-year ban from international competition imposed by WADA<\/strong> following the manipulation of data related to thousands of doping tests with a decision expected by the end of the year.<\/p>\n

All the while, the International Swimming League<\/strong> has been taking place with hundreds of top international athletes training and competing at the Duna Arena.<\/p>\n

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Photo Courtesy: Mine Kasapoglu \/ ISL<\/p><\/div>\n
Different events and lives can co-exist and run parallel and speaking shortly before the US election, Scott said:<\/p>\n
“It is weird: it happens as well when you go away to other competitions that have a village.<\/p>\n
“You are sort of in this bubble: in some regard it is quite nice because it shuts out everything from the outside world. But these are massive decisions that are going to be happening.<\/p>\n
“And with what\u2019s happening at home, it\u2019s not nice to see some of the scenarios and situations that are still happening.<\/p>\n
“Everyone here is in a really fortunate position that it\u2019s able to go ahead and that we are in this bubble in comparison to what is happening in America or even back home.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Some of his own London Roar team-mates could well be affected depending on the final decision by CAS.<\/p>\n
Kirill Prigoda<\/strong>, Maria Kameneva<\/strong> and Mikhail Vekovishchev\u00a0<\/strong>may find themselves barred from competing at the Olympics in Tokyo next July depending on the outcome – although the topic has never come up in conversation.<\/p>\n
For triple world relay champion Scott, the ISL offers an opportunity to spend time training with and competing alongside swimmers he would rarely otherwise come into contact with.<\/p>\n
Friendships have been forged with Scott also being taught some Russian vocabulary – although he’s not quite sure what.<\/p>\n
He said:<\/p>\n
“I’m trying to learn a little bit of Russian which is really tricky: I am not going to try and repeat anything that I\u2019ve learned.<\/p>\n
“They\u2019ll say something and then laugh and you just don\u2019t know what that word means.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
$\"duncan-scott-london-roar\"$
Photo Courtesy: Mine Kasapoglu \/ ISL<\/p><\/div>\n
He added:<\/p>\n
“For me the best bit about the ISL is being on teams with people I am not usually on teams with. I really enjoyed London last year: there were hardly any Brits on the team and so many Aussies and a couple of Europeans as well and I really enjoyed that whole team dynamic of so many different cultures being on one team.<\/p>\n
“We\u2019ve got the same this year \u2013 obviously we have added a lot of Brits \u2013 but with that there is quite a few more Europeans this time which is good. A couple of them have trained in the States, we’ve still got the Brazilians and the Russians as well so I really enjoy that aspect of ISL.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Scott and his London Roar<\/strong> team are set to face defending champions Energy Standard<\/strong> and newcomers Tokyo Frog Kings<\/strong> and New York Breakers<\/strong> in the semi-final on Saturday and Sunday.<\/p>\n
Roar qualified third in the standings behind unbeaten Cali Condors and Energy.<\/p>\n
It’s an intriguing match with the Frog Kings going four for four in both the men’s and women’s 400IM thanks to Kosuke Hagino<\/strong> and Yui Ohashi<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
Scott – coached by Steven Tigg<\/strong> at the University of Stirling – won the 400IM in match 10 and may go up against Hagino, having already welcomed the Japanese swimmer’s return to the elite pool<\/a> after physical and mental burnout resulted in him taking time out of the water.<\/p>\n
This season has seen a number of innovations in the competition with the jackpot prompting a lot of debate, especially early on.<\/p>\n
Scott agreed that it can have a significant impact on the result, adding:<\/p>\n
“If it\u2019s more entertaining, then I guess maybe that\u2019s why it\u2019s in there. The ISL is trying to make it more of a show.<\/p>\n
“Potentially the argument is it\u2019s world-class swimmers, it\u2019s not for the faint-hearted so if you are that far back – it\u2019s international swimming.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
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