The Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA’s) 2021 reform report lacks “athlete involvement in the process,” the International Swimmers’ Alliance (ISA) said on social media Saturday.
The ISA is an independent organization dedicated to improving personal and economic opportunities for swimmers, according to its mission statement. Its 10-person Board is lead by Olympic champions Chad Le Clos of South Africa, Katinka Hosszu of Hungary, Ranomi Kromowidjojo of the Netherlands, and Board Chair Matt Biondi of the United States.
The ISA first commended the report on identifying “many of the widely held criticisms directed at the international federation that oversees aquatic sports on a global scale…”
“One area that the report comes up short that is of particular concern to the ISA however is the aspect of athlete involvement in the process,” the ISA wrote.
“In order for FINA to achieve its stated objective – “restore public and stakeholder confidence” – it is essential that the voice of the athletes, from across all of FINA’s aquatic disciplines be included in every step of this process.”
The 2021 FINA report focused mainly on governance, marketing, and events. We broke down the FINA reform report in a comprehensive article here and you can view the full report here.
“The ISA looks forward to helping FINA implement these reforms, and to ensuring that athletes are included in a meaningful way going forward.”
This is the first statement from the organization which was officially launched in June but has been in the planning stages since 2019.
Full ISA Statement
“International Swimmers’ Alliance Welcomes FINA Reform Report
“ISA calls for more input from athletes
“ISA Maps Out Future for Competitive Swimmers
13-October, 2021
“The International Swimmers’ Alliance welcomes FINA’s recently released reform committee report. The report identifies many of the widely held criticisms directed at the international federation that oversees aquatic sports on a global scale. The report also recommends steps that the organization can take to address the shortcomings and improve its overall performance.
“One area that the report comes up short that is of particular concern to the ISA however is the aspect of athlete involvement in the process. In order for FINA to achieve its stated objective – “restore public and stakeholder confidence” – it is essential that the voice of the athletes, from across all of FINA’s aquatic disciplines be included in every step of this process. The reform report comes up short in this regard.
“The ISA looks forward to helping FINA implement these reforms, and to ensuring that athletes are included in a meaningful way going forward.”