The body of a Russian athlete who went missing during Istanbul’s annual Bosphorus transcontinental swimming race has been found, the Russian consulate announced Thursday.
“The Russian Consulate General in Istanbul regrets that according to the results of the DNA analysis, the body found on January 20 is that of the Russian swimmer Nikolai Svechnikov,” he said in a statement sent to the RIA Novosti news agency.
The 29-year-old professional swimming coach joined more than 2,800 participants from 81 countries in the 4 mile swim between Asia and Europe on August 24.
But the Turkish Olympic Committee, which organized the event, later said he had “disappeared in the race”. His disappearance was noticed only a few hours after the incident, RIA Novosti notify.
The Istanbul governor’s office said security footage and a timing chip attached to his foot showed he had started the race but “did not reach the finish line”.
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Despite a search by coastguards and marine police for days, his body was never found.
But on Tuesday morning, police found the body of a man “near the Bebek embankment” not far from where the race ended, the consulate said, which DNA tests confirmed was that of the missing swimmer.
The Istanbul prosecutor’s office, which opened an investigation into the swimmer’s disappearance, confirmed on Wednesday that a body “without a head, feet and arms” had been found.
It was also seen to be “wearing a bathing suit”, suggesting it was likely Svechnikov’s, he added.
Alperen Çakmak, the lawyer representing the Svechnikov family, say RIA Novosti expects the ongoing police investigation to move forward quickly.
“We will do everything to identify all those involved in the organization of this event and those guilty of negligence,” said Çakma. “There is a separate legal process for compensation, which we will continue to request from the organizers.”
During the annual race, the Bosphorus Strait, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, is temporarily closed to traffic as swimmers from Kanlica on the Asian side enter the water and Kurucesme on the European side.
According to the race’s official website, they have two hours to complete the course, and Turkish coastguards pick up anyone who doesn’t finish within that time.
Some swimmers in the event criticized the race for allegedly not having enough monitoring and rescue boats along the course, the Moscow Times reported. notify.
The Istanbul prosecutor opened an investigation to clarify the incident.
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