By Braden Keith on SwimSwam
Irish Olympic swimmer Shane Ryan, who recently signed to join the Enhanced Games, says that the International Swimming League still owes him $50,000 from its most recent season.
He is one of a number of swimmers, including Olympic medalists, who have reached out to SwimSwam saying that they are still owed money by the defunct swim league, which floated a revival in 2026 or 2027 on Monday.
The primary response from athletes and fans alike to the league’s announcement is a lack of confidence about the ISL’s comeback when it still has so many outstanding bills. While the war in Ukraine has complicated the league’s finances, with its founder and funder Konstantin Grigorishin straddling the battle lines, the league was accused of not paying vendors and support staff for years before the war in Ukraine began.
Ryan’s comment adds an extra layer, given his recent acceptance in the Enhanced Games, a private equity-fueled sporting event where performance enhancing drugs are allowed and encouraged.
Several athletes have cited the financial promise and the inability to make a living in traditional sport as primary motivators for their decision in the face of public backlash. Athletes are being offered $100,000 or more just to participate, with $250,000 winners prizes and a $1 million World Record bonus.
While the ISL offered promise of a larger and more stable earnings pool for swimmers, it lacked the foundational business model to follow through on that promise.
Ryan earned around $25,000 in prize money during the 2021 ISL season, implying that additional ‘solidarity’ or other payments have still not been paid either. He was a member of the Toronto Titans, which were an expansion franchise run by Rob Kent, who is involved in the new ISL spinoff in the United States that will focus on college teams.
Other swimmers who were further down the ISL pecking order than Ryan have said that they are still owed between $20,000 and $30,000.
The ISL has not responded to SwimSwam’s requests for comment for several years.
In spite of their silence, some swimmers have received payments since 2022. Another Enhanced Games swimmer Cody Miller said in late 2024 that he did finally receive his solidarity payments, and earlier in 2024 ISL commissioner Ben Allan texted one athlete that the Tokyo Frog Kings’ solidarity payments had been sent to the team, with plans to make remaining payments.
Ryan, 31, was born in the United States and competed at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials. After switching his heritage to Ireland, eligible through his Irish-born father Thomas, he represented Ireland at the 2016, 2020, and 2024 Olympic Games, among many other international meets. His biggest international medals were bronzes in the 50 back at the 2018 and 2024 World Short Course Swimming Championships.
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