From the Budapest bubble, the stars have swum thinking of thousands, but also chasing debts | sports



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  • In total, during this season’s 12 swims in ISL competitions, D. Rapšys won first place seven times, second place four times, and third place only once.

D. Rapšys did not take a single medal from the ISL series competition in Budapest, although he did win awards in all twelve starts.

“The fight here was not for medals, but for points,” recalled the Lithuanian swimmer, who flew out of Budapest six weeks later with S. Bilis, A. Šidlauskas and coach Ina Paipeliene.

The biggest gains were almost 300 thousand euros, but there were also disappointments

About 300 swimmers from fifty countries participated in the ISL competition in the second season. The invited swimmers consisted of 10 teams.

Cali Condors of San Francisco scored the most points (561) and became the second season champion, with Energy Standart (464), represented by three Lithuanians, ranking second. In the final, the London Roar team finished third (391) and the Los Angeles Current, fourth (298).

Cali Condors star Caeleb Dressel became the best swimmer in the competition, winning the MVP title in five to six stages.

During the competition, the American, who achieved the world record in the 100m complex by swimming twice, scored 463.5 points, and victories will bring him a solid bonus. According to the Swim Swam portal, C. Dressel got a total of 292 thousand. dollars (246 thousand euros).

„Scanpix“ nuotr./Caelebas Dresselis

„Scanpix“ nuotr./Caelebas Dresselis

In second place in points (350) and prizes won (214 thousand euros) is the former US Olympic champion Lilly King, former rival of Rūta Meilutytė, who also represented the Cali Condors team.

D.Rapšys scored 116 points for the team and, according to the bonuses, he has to get 33 thousand. euros.

“The clubs are coming together to score more points. Our team was chosen without thinking about what happens when a swimmer “steals” points from others. We had swimmers on the team who scored 2,3 or 4 points throughout the game, while several people on the American team scored several hundred points. When an American (C.Dresselis) scores a fifth of the points of the whole team in the final, it is impossible to win ”, emphasized D. Rapšys, noting that the points system in the race in the pool was more favorable for the sprinters than for him.

Photo by Julius Kalinskas / 15min / Dan Rapšys

Photo by Julius Kalinskas / 15min / Dan Rapšys

The 25-year-old Lithuanian, who sailed in the 200 and 400 m freestyle, was ranked 35th out of 300 swimmers in terms of earnings in ISL competitions.

Simon Bill, who beat his team the most during the relay, scored 35 points and will receive 12 thousand coins. euros.

Andrius Šidlauskas did not have many opportunities to start and ended the ISL season with a more modest deposit: 2 points and 4 thousand. remuneration.

Created by Ukrainian billionaire Kostantin Grigorišin, manager of Energy Standart Group, the ISL has become an opportunity to compete with the world’s brightest swimming stars in a pandemic under increasing pressure from most of the world, but at the points shadows of a revolutionary project.

LiveWire Sport, a marketing company, announced last week that ISL owes a six-figure amount of money that has increased since last season. “We have been waiting for more than 10 months for ISL services during the first season,” LibeWire Sport wrote in a statement, citing lawsuits in the UK and Switzerland.

Jean-Francois Selessy, CEO of Energy Standart, resigned last week after sending a public letter to Grigorišin.

JFSelessu criticized ISL management, emphasizing that while the organization cared about bonuses for swimmers and coaches, everyone else (swimmers’ agents, technical and support staff) had to wait for their salary and work in good faith. .

“I’ve heard all kinds of news, but I don’t know,” said D. Rapšys when asked about fulfilling ISL’s obligations. – So far I have not received anything. But I will not delve. I trust responsible people and I don’t dig too deep. “

Photo by Julius Kalinskas / 15min / Dan Rapšys

Photo by Julius Kalinskas / 15min / Dan Rapšys

The audience was lost only later

The ISL said that less than 5 percent of the first season remained outstanding. Commitments and financial situation will need to be better weighed before planning season three.

“The work was not easy,” ISL was quoted as saying by insidethegame.biz. – During the first two seasons, we focused primarily on how to better reveal the talents of athletes and present the product as much as possible to a wider audience.

We expected significant revenue, but along with the consequences of the pandemic, our business operations suffered significant losses.

We will have to change our approach to the market as we move forward. “

Photo by Julius Kalinskas / 15min / Dan Rapšys

Photo by Julius Kalinskas / 15min / Dan Rapšys

The ISL emphasized that the race had succeeded in giving swimmers a chance to start during a season marked by a pandemic when there were almost no more races.

In the conditions of competition and living in the bubble of Budapest, it was possible to guarantee the safety of the athletes of COVID-19, and some forgot that the race took place without spectators.

“I may have noticed in only the third game that there are no spectators,” admitted D. Rapšys with a smile. – Most of our team members were in the stands and received very strong support. The sound was such that it seemed to be ringing. “



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