A Russian man who disappeared in the Bosphorus could have been hit during a swim

Russian swimmer Nikolai Svechnikov, who disappeared in the Bosphorus, could have collided with other athletes during the swim and suffered a blow. This opinion was expressed in an interview with Izvestia by the former head coach of the Russian national open water swimming team, Honored Master of Sports Alexei Akatiev.

"The main danger that haunts athletes competing at such major events is the large number of participants starting at the same time. There could have been some kind of water accident, a collision that people might not have collided with on purpose. An athlete swimming next to him could accidentally touch him, hit some kind of pain point," Akatiev said.

Akatiev also admitted the possibility of an underwater collision. According to him, Svechnikov could have "bumped into something," because the swim was conducted in open water, which is associated with an increased risk. Akatiev recalled that the water in the Bosphorus is warm, but in some places there may be cold currents.

"Maybe something happened to his willingness. Maybe he wasn't ready enough, he was tired, the man wasn't 15 years old after all. Perhaps something could have happened to his health," he said, adding that the sport requires high training from the participants.

The disappearance of Russian swimmer Svechnikov during a swim through the Bosphorus Strait became known earlier that day. A 29-year-old professional swimmer from Moscow did not reach the finish line when swimming across the Bosphorus in Istanbul. After sailing 500-600 m, Nikolai disappeared from sight. According to one version, the man could have had a leg cramp, after which he was carried away by the current. The missing Russian was reported to the police and hospitals. The Coast Guard is currently searching for the swimmer.

The annual Bosphorus 2025 swim was organized by the National Olympic Committee of Turkey. It took place the day before from 10:00 to 14:00. This year, athletes from 81 countries took part in the swim. It was only at 22:00 that the organizers noticed the absence of one of the participants.

In turn, a friend of the missing Russian swimmer Svechnikov told about the strong currents in the Bosphorus. According to him, rescuers are likely to limit themselves to the coastline during the search.

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