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SPORTS Wednesday 16 January 2019
Swimming body

ends threat to ban

breakaway athletes

By GRAHAM DUNBAR month.
AP Sports Writer Conflict between FINA and
GENEVA (AP) — In a swimmers increased before
standoff about the right the scheduled privately run
of swimmers to compete meeting in December in
for improved prize money, Turin, Italy. It was canceled
governing body FINA on amid the threatened bans.
Tuesday lifted its threat to "ISL takes swimmers serious-
ban those taking part in in- ly, not like FINA," Hungarian
dependently run competi- swim great Katinka Hosszu
tions. said in December, joining
FINA has been criticized in American swimmers Tom
recent weeks by top swim- Shields and Michael An-
mers who want more say in drew in filing the class ac-
how their sport is run and tion suit in California.
more opportunities to be The proposed ISL also filed
financially rewarded. a separate suit against FINA
Olympic and world cham- in the U.S. District Court for
pions filed an antitrust suit in the Northern District of Cali-
California last month after fornia. It is backed by Mos-
FINA's threats to ban swim- cow-based businessman
mers who competed in a Konstantin Grigorishin, who
December meeting linked met a group of top swim-
to the proposed Interna- mers in London last month.
tional Swimming League. In a similar case, Dutch United States' Mikaela Shiffrin competes during an alpine ski, women's World Cup giant slalom, in
"FINA acknowledges that speedskaters won a Euro- Kronplatz, Italy, Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019.
swimmers are free to par- pean Commission ruling in
ticipate in competitions or Brussels in 2017 against the KRON PLATZ Vigilio. ber.
events staged by indepen- Swiss-based International Continued from Page 18 Shiffrin was fifth here in "I'm battling with the first
dent organizers," the Swit- Skating Union. They had Shiffrin often does not cele- 2017 and had an unchar- places in every race," Wor-
zerland-based swim body wanted to compete in a brate her victories, but she acteristic fall in the first run ley said. "A lot of girls are
said after consulting with South Korean-organized raised her arms emphati- last year, producing the able to get on the podium."
national federations. event in Dubai but were cally to rejoice over this unusual sight of her falling Bassino matched her third-
However, results and re- threatened with bans. one. on a slope that features a place result on this course
cords will be unofficial if ISL The revised FINA policy fol- "When I came here I was 61 percent gradient — one from two years ago, hav-
organizers fail to get FINA's lowed advice from its legal thinking, 'Well the last years of the steepest tests on the ing finished fourth last year,
approval, including fitting counsel, Francois Carrard, didn't go so well for me.' I women's circuit. and ended a podium
into the official events cal- who is a key International always struggled with this Then she went out and pro- drought in GS dating to the
endar and running an ap- Olympic Committee advis- hill. But I was still excited to duced a first run that "was 2016-17 season.
proved doping control pro- er after being its long-time ski on it and to prove my- maybe my best run in GS in "To finally do it here in Italy
gram. director general. self that I can ski it fast and a race that I ever did." with this crowd is an amaz-
FINA has countered the "FINA's business is not to make it to the finish." "But I even felt like, 'OK, I ing feeling," Bassino said.
ISL with a proposed three- punish athletes," Carrard Having established a mas- can be more precise.' So it Petra Vlhova of Slovakia
meet series starting in said in the FINA statement. sive 1.39-second advan- was a good mindset to go finished fourth and Viktoria
March and paying $3.9 mil- "FINA recognizes the right tage in the opening leg, in the second run. I wasn't Rebensburg, the German
lion in prize money. It also of athletes to participate Shiffrin finished a comfort- trying to protect the win, I who won this race last year,
topped up the prize fund in any swimming event. able 1.21 seconds ahead was trying to ski another came fifth.
by almost $1 million for the However, this participation of Tessa Worley of France in run like I did in the first and In the overall standings,
short-course world cham- should respect the frame of perfect conditions to earn maybe in some terms bet- Shiffrin extended her lead
pionships held in China last sport structure."q her 10th victory of the sea- ter. Both runs the whole over Vlhova to a whopping
son. Marta Bassino of Italy day were really perfect." 496 points as she seeks a
moved up from fourth after Shiffrin claimed the lead in third straight title.
the first run to finish third, the GS standings, moving Nina O'Brien, Shiffrin's team-
1.57 back. 10 points ahead of Worley mate and a university stu-
The overall World Cup and 45 points ahead of dent, finished 26th for her
leader and Olympic cham- previous leader Federica first career points in GS.
pion in giant slalom, Shiffrin Brignone of Italy, who fin- Up next on the women's cir-
is within striking distance of ished sixth. cuit are two downhills and
the all-time record of 14 It was Worley's third straight a super-G in nearby Cor-
wins in a single season set podium result follow- tina d'Ampezzo from Friday
by Swiss great Vreni Sch- ing third-place finishes in to Sunday. Shiffrin plans to
neider in 1988-89. Lindsey GS races in Courchevel, skip the Cortina downhills
Vonn is second on the list France, and Semmer- but will race the super-
with 12 wins in 2011-12. ing, Austria — having won G, while Lindsey Vonn will
It was the 53rd win of Shif- the season-opening GS in open her injury-delayed
frin's career, and first in San Soelden, Austria, in Octo- season in Cortina.q