The Tokyo Frog Kings are one of 8 teams qualified to compete in the semifinals of season 2 of the International Swimming League (ISL).
The squad will compete against Energy Standard, London Roar and NY Breakers on Saturday, November 14th and Sunday, November 15th in Budapest, while the other 4 teams of Iron, Toronto Titans, LA Current and Cali Condors will race in semifinal #2 on Sunday, November 15th and Monday, November 16th.
The top two teams emerging from these semifinals will go head-to-head in the ISL final slated for the following weekend. Last year’s champion of Energy Standard looks like a likely candidate to fall into one of the top two slots, but any number of scenarios can play out in the races to come to make the final teams anything but locked in at this point.
As for the Frog Kings, with a roster comprised primarily of Japanese swimmers, making the November 21st/22nd final rubs up against the Japan Swim set for December 3rd and 6th. The Japan Swim/Japanese Championships now represents a non-selection meet, but is still an important domestic racing opportunity.
Although the ISL final and Japan Swim dates themselves do not overlap, the necessary coronavirus quarantining timeframe does. At least until today.
Now Japanese media is reporting that a plan has emerged to pursue relaxation of the 14-day waiting measure normally required when returning to Japan from out of the country. This would apply only to ISL athletes qualified to compete at the Japan Swim, which would include the likes of Yasuhiro Koseki, Yui Ohashi and Kosuke Hagino
One of the Japanese Swimming Federation’s (JSF) stipulations of its nation’s swimmers being able to compete in the ISL at all was that they would commit to racing at the Japan swim. If no leniency is granted and the Tokyo Frog Kings make the final, then Japan’s swimmers would return to their home country less than 14 days prior to the Japan Swim, rendering them ineligible.
We will keep you posted on the developments as the ISL semifinals progress.