.){kind=link}
A Russian athlete went missing Sunday during the 37th Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swimming Race, a major annual open-water event organized by the Turkish National Olympic Committee (TMOK), the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
The missing swimmer was identified as 29-year-old Nikolai Svechnikov, who was among 2,820 participants from 81 countries including some 450 Russians competing in the event across the Bosphorus Strait. Turkish authorities said he failed to reach the shore after the 6.5 kilometer (4 mile) annual race from İstanbul’s Asian shore to the European side, prompting an immediate search by police and coast guard teams.
Rescue operations are underway across the Bosphorus, particularly in the area between Kanlıca and Kuruçeşme, where the race took place.
TMOK confirmed Svechnikov’s disappearance in a statement on Monday, saying it was “deeply saddened” and that authorities were fully mobilized.
“The race was held under the highest security standards with the coordination of all state security units and contributions from Turkey’s leading institutions. The disappearance of an athlete during the event has deeply saddened us. Efforts to clarify the incident are being carried out in full cooperation with the Coast Guard and police units. TMOK will continue to share developments transparently,” the statement said.
Organizers of the event said that extensive safety measures were in place. A total of 100 vessels, including those from the Coast Guard, police, Coastal Safety Directorate, disaster agency AFAD, fire department, underwater rescue teams and private operators, were deployed along the route, 60 of them assigned specifically for swimmer security.
According to TMOK, the race began at 10:04 a.m., with the last swimmer entering the water at 10:54 a.m. The event officially ended two hours later, at 12:54 p.m., in line with competition rules. Organizers said the route was checked at the conclusion of the race and that no swimmers were found remaining in the water.
An initial review indicated that three swimmers were unaccounted for, but later checks determined that only one athlete, Svechnikov, was missing. Relevant authorities were immediately informed, and search-and-rescue operations were launched. Rescue teams have continued intensified efforts in the area since the incident was reported, according to Anadolu.
Fellow swimmers told Russian state news agency RIA Novosti that they last saw Svechnikov mid-race. Organizers told RIA Novosti he may have suffered fatigue, a cramp or been carried off by currents, while relatives insisted he was in good health and had trained for months.
“The coast guard told me verbally: Be assured, all services are searching for Nikolai. I cried and begged them to show me video footage or a search point. They just took my number and repeated, ‘Don’t worry, we’re looking for him,’” a relative, identified as Alyona, told RIA Novosti.
Russia’s Consulate General in İstanbul said it planned to contact Turkish authorities about Svechnikov’s disappearance.
SwimTrek, a company offering entry to the race, described race conditions as “challenging” on its website, adding that “experience of swimming in all sea conditions is essential.”