New pro swim league to hold meets in US, Europe this fall

NEW YORK (AP) — A new professional league for elite swimmers will launch in October with meets in seven cities across the U.S. and Europe, ending with a championship in a temporary pool in Las Vegas.

The International Swimming League announced its schedule Tuesday.

The season begins Oct. 4-5 in Indianapolis, followed by meets Oct. 12-13 in Naples, Italy; Oct. 18-19 in Lewisville, Texas, outside Dallas; Oct. 26-27 in Budapest; Nov. 15-16 in College Park, Maryland; and Nov. 23-24 in London at the site of the 2012 Olympic swimming competition.

The championship will be Dec. 19-20 at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino’s 12,000-seat arena in Las Vegas.

The ISL says it has signed more than 200 of the world’s elite swimmers, including Americans Katie Ledecky, Nathan Adrian, Simone Manuel and Ryan Murphy.

FINA, the sport’s international governing body, is running its own Champions Swim Series of invitation-only meets in Guangzhou, Budapest and Indianapolis this spring. Total prize money is $3.9 million.