Double world record holder Alia Atkinson is among a group of 320 swimmers who will be provided with US $1500 dollars per month by the International Swimming League to aid their preparations for the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics following the coronavirus pandemic.

Each swimmer, under the terms of the financial grant dubbed the ISL Solidarity Program, will receive a guaranteed wage of $1500 dollar for 10 months between September 2020 and July 2021.

Additionally, some swimmers will receive $3,500 dollars per month through bonuses related to their success and status.

The package that provides $11 million in funding also sees $6 million being set aside for wages with a further $5 million being allocated to prize money for a condensed second season that will include a number of new innovations.

Atkinson, who represents Team Iron, will be among the 320 swimmers and their coaches from the 10 teams who have also been invited to attend an all-expense paid five-week training-and-competition camp scheduled for October 14 to November 17 depending on the latest development with coronavirus crisis.

The subsidized reunification of the swimming family will include an ISL-format competition each weekend, with 10 teams competing in matches of four teams at a time. Innovations for the coming season include skins on all strokes – back-to-back races which operate on a knockout basis with the two remaining swimmers racing in a head-to-head final – split-time events and a 100m medley added to the program.

Depending on coronavirus developments, the final match in the condensed 2020 series would either be held on the last weekend of the camp or about a month later somewhere else in the world, London among cities to have expressed an interest.

Among venues being explored for the camp are Australia, Budapest, Japan and Florida.

The cost of the camp and the related competitions will swell the ISL’s investment to more than $20 million as a solidarity measure on the way to a full season in 2021-22.