Body of Russian swimmer found months after disappearing during transcontinental race

The body of a Russian athlete who went missing during the annual Bosphorus transcontinental swimming race in Istanbul has been found, the Russian consulate said on Thursday.

“The Consulate General of Russia in Istanbul regrets to inform that, according to the results of DNA examination, the body found on January 20… belongs to Russian swimmer Nikolai Svechnikov,” it said in a statement sent to the RIA Novosti news agency.

The 29-year-old professional swimming coach joined the Asia-Europe 4-mile swim on August 24 alongside more than 2,800 participants from 81 countries.

But the Turkish Olympic Committee, which organized the event, later said he “disappeared during the race.” His disappearance was discovered only a few hours after the event, RIA Novosti reports.

The Istanbul governor’s office said security footage and the timing chip placed on his foot showed he started the race but “had not reached the finish line.”

Despite days of searching by the coast guard and maritime police, 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, and DNA testing confirmed it was the missing swimmer.

The Istanbul prosecutor’s office, which had opened an investigation into the swimmer’s disappearance, confirmed on Wednesday that a body “without a head, without feet or arms” had been found.

He was also found to be “wearing a bathing suit,” suggesting it was likely Svechnikov’s, he added.

Alperen Çakmak, a lawyer for the Svechnikov family, told RIA Novosti that he hopes the ongoing police investigation will move forward quickly.

“We will do our best to identify all those involved and guilty of negligence in organizing this event,” Çakmak said. “There is a separate legal process regarding compensation, which we will continue to demand from the organizers.”

During the annual race, the Bosphorus Strait, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes, is temporarily closed to traffic, with swimmers entering the water at Kanlica on the Asian side and racing towards Kurucesme on the European side.

According to the race’s official website, they have a two-hour time limit to complete the course, and anyone who doesn’t finish within that time will be picked up by the Turkish coast guard.

Some of the swimmers in the event criticized the race for allegedly having insufficient control and a lack of rescue boats along the course, the Moscow Times reported.

Istanbul prosecutors had opened an investigation into the incident.