The ISL described the war as a "force majeure situation" and said it had taken the "difficult decision" to postpone its latest season to next year.

The league had been due to get underway on June 3, with the final scheduled to have been contested in North America on December 22.

In total, 24 teams had been due to take part, with Energy Standard the current holders of the league, which was established in 2018, before being launched the following year.

In a statement published on their website the ISL said: "The war in Ukraine is a tragedy, having destroyed lives, families and homes.

"Many of our ISL colleagues remain trapped in Kyiv, and the conflict seems poised to continue for the foreseeable future.

"In light of this force majeure situation, we cannot, in good faith to our swimmers and our fans, commit to hosting any commercial matches in 2022.

"As such, we have made the difficult decision to postpone season four to 2023."

Swimmers were told of the decision in a letter, a transcript of which was published by SwimSwam, which details how the organisation intends to settle outstanding payments to athletes before proceeding.

The letter reads: "This decision has been made because we recognise that we cannot ask you to travel, train and compete on a promise alone.

"Rather, we must settle all of the ISL’s outstanding payments to each of you before we can push forward to another season.

"In the meantime, the league will use this period to reflect, and adjust our plans moving forward.

"We will pursue more innovative strategies for commercialisation, embrace more frequent and transparent communication, and include consultation with the swimming community concerning our rules and our schedule as a critical part of the ISL’s process.

"These steps forward will be overseen by an expanded leadership team who will not take compensation until all of you have been paid, because they truly believe in the ISL’s potential to transform our sport."

ISL holders Energy Standard had already announced that agreements with all Russian athletes and support staff had been suspended following the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and Belarus.

Earlier this month, the European Swimming League banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing in its events.

Last week the International Swimming Federation banned Russian and Belarussian athletes from participating in its competitions, including the World Championships, due to take place in Budapest from June 18 to July 3.