Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swim



The Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swim (Samsung Bosphorus Cross Continental Swimming Race or Samsung Cross Bosphorus Swim or Samsung Boğazıçi Kitalararasi Yarislari or Samsung Boğaziçi Kıtalararası Yüzme Yarışı, in Turkish or the Bosphorous Strait Swim) is one of the World's Top 100 Open Water Swims, one of the Top 50 Open Water Swims In Asia, and one of the World's Top 100 River Swims.
It is located in the Istanbul Strait that connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara in Turkey. Bosphorus is the world’s most narrow strait used for international navigation and enables participants to claim they swam between Asia and Europe.
The course is from Kanlica on the Asian side of the Bosphorus to Kuruçesme on the European side of the Bosphorus.
The 6.5 km race is held annually in July and is organized by the National Olympic Committee of Turkey. The competition started in 1989 with 68 swimmers and has recently grown to 4,892 applicants for the 2,200 available spots.
Contents
2015 World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year Nominees
The Samsung Boğazıçi Kitalararasi Yarislari (Samsung Intercontinental Bosphorus Swimming Competition) is nominated for the 2015 World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year by the World Open Water Swimming Association along with the following nominees:
1. Axis Buoy by FINIS (U.S.A.)
2. Best Places To Swim by Orca (New Zealand)
3. Chillswim Coniston by Chillswim (Great Britain)
4. Find A Way by Diana Nyad (U.S.A.)
5. IOLITE by Stephen Holm, Raymond Rogers, Justin Peck (U.S.A.)
6. Lake Geneva Swimming Association by Ben Barham (Switzerland)
7. Madswimmers Charity Swims by Jean Craven (South Africa)
8. Samsung Boğaziçi Kıtalararası Yüzme Yarışı (Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swim) by the National Olympic Committee of Turkey (Turkey)
9. Sting No More™ by Dr. Angel Yanagihara (U.S.A.)
10. Swim Across America (U.S.A.)
11. SwimCross (Switzerland)
12. SwimEars® by Hans Henrik Heming (Denmark)
13. Swimmit by Ivan Peralta (Spain)
14. SwimTrack by Evan Morrison (U.S.A.)
15. WEST (Water World Swimming Therapy) (Israel)
16. World Ice Swimming Championships (Russia)
2015 WOWSA Award Nomination
Samsung Boğaziçi Kıtalararası Yüzme Yarışı (Samsung Intercontinental Bosphorus Swimming Competition) by the National Olympic Committee of Turkey
Point-to-point swims in shifting currents and tides always provide the self-satisfaction and challenge that is easy for open water swimmers to understand and feel. But when a swim ties together two of the Earth's continents in an iconic setting with thousands of other participants, the challenge becomes much more profoundly satisfying. Samsung Boğaziçi Kıtalararası Yüzme Yarışı provides the logistics and safety net for swimmers around the world to swim 6.5 km across the Istanbul Strait between Asia and Europe. Starting on the Asian side of the Bosphorus to Kuruçesme on the European side, the event is so massively popular and well-organized that it is natural the international open water extravaganza has grown from 68 swimmers in 1989 to nearly 5,000 participants. For the professional organization of the event by the National Olympic Committee of Turkey, for the production of a challenging event across a dynamically moving body of water in a such an iconic location, and for the joyful multi-cultural, multi-lingual ambiance of bioprened and neoprened swimmers, Samsung Boğaziçi Kıtalararası Yüzme Yarışı is a worthy nominee for the World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year.
2016 WOWSA Award Nomination
The Samsung Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swim was nominated for the 2016 WOWSA Awards, a recognition of outstanding men, women, performances and offerings around the globe sponsored by the World Open Water Swimming Association. It was selected as the 2016 World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year.
Its nomination read, "Swimming between continents is something that few people in the world rarely have an opportunity to do. But the Samsung Bosphorus Cross Continental Swim is excellently organized to offer this dramatic possibility to thousands of people every year. The National Olympic Committee of Turkey has grown the 6.5 km point-to-point traverse of the Istanbul Strait from 68 swimmers in 1989 to nearly 5,000 applicants from 52 countries from all walks of life. Boat traffic in the strait is stopped once per year on this day when people challenge themselves against shifting currents and tidal flows with logistics and a wide safety net at their protection. For providing the self-satisfaction and challenge of a cross-continental swim from the Asian continent to the European continents to 2,200 swimmers, for organizing an aquatic challenge across a dynamic body of water in an iconic location, and for the joyful multi-cultural, multi-lingual ambiance of swimmers from around the world, the Samsung Boğaziçi Kıtalararası Yüzme Yarışı is a worthy nominee for the 2016 World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year."
Distance
6.5 km
Type
Sea
Location
City From Kandili, Asia to Kuruçeşme, Europe
Country Turkey
Region Asia
Contact
Name National Olympic Committee of Turkey
Title Türkiye Milli Olimpiyat Komitesi
Email info@olimpiyat.org.tr
Guests of Honor
- 2012: Mark Spitz, Olympic champion
- 2013: Ian Thorpe, Olympic champion
- 2014: Inge de Bruijn, Olympic champion
- 2015: Adam Walker, Oceans Seven Swimmer
- 2016: Shelley Taylor-Smith, 7-time World Professional Marathon Swimming Federation champion
- 2017: Doug Woodring, Ocean Advocate, and Lexie Kelly, Professional Marathon Swimmer
- 2018 Sergey Bubka, Olympic champion, and Kirsty Coventry, Olympic champion
Event Information
Month: July
Event Date: 22 July 2018
Website: www.olimpiyatkomitesi.org.tr/tr/Faaliyet/bgz/Bgz.htm
Class: Amateur
Wetsuit: No
One of the World's Greatest Swims
External Links
- 2020 WOWSA Awards – World Open Water Swimming Offering Of The Year Nominees
- 2020 WOWSA Awards – World Open Water Swimming Offering Of The Year
- Marmaris Yüzme Kampi Redux
- Keeping Safe, Enjoy The 2020 Bosphorus Cross Continental Swim
- When Three Generations Swam From Asia To Europe
- Jon Erikson, swimmer extraordinary, and his family
- 2020 Samsung Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swimming Race
- Ömer Tara Wins Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swim
- Nilay Erkal Wins Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swim
- Top 50 Open Water Swims in Asia
- Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swim
- World's Top 100 Open Water Swims
- Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swim / Boğazıçi Kitalararasi Yarislari Official Website
- World's Top 100 Open Water Swims
- Open Water Swimming
- Boğazıçi Kitalararasi Yarislari
- World Open Water Swimming Association
- Open Water Swimming
- America's Very Difficult Open Water Swims
- 10 Difficult Short Open Water Swims
- Adam Walker Hosts, Bertuğ Coşkun Wins Samsung Bosphorus Cross Continental Swim
- 2015 World Open Water Swimming Offering Of The Year Nominees
- WOWSA...Swimmers To Be Celebrated At Big Chill Swim
- 2015 WOWSA Awards - Performance Of The Year Voting
- Samsung Boğaziçi Kıtalararası Yüzme Yarışı
- Guarantee Entry At The Bosphorus Cross Continental Swim
- A Noble Family In The Open Water
- Marathon Swimming
- The Location Is Beautiful, The People Are Beautiful
- Guests Start Samsung Bosphorus Cross Continental Swim
- Swimming Safely Across The Bosphorus
- Shelley Smiles, Swims To Europe
- 2016 WOWSA Awards Nominees
- 2016 World Open Water Swimming Man of the Year Nominees
- 2016 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year Nominees
- 2016 World Open Water Swimming Performance of the Year Nominees
- 2016 World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year Nominees
- Swimming With Samsung, Across The Bosphorus
- Samsung Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swim Is 2016 World Open Water Swimming Offering Of The Year
- Unbelievably Gorgeous, Awe-Inspiring Open Water Places
- Ideas To Make The Globe A Better Place To Live
- Swimming From Asia To Europe
- Boat Starting In Turkey
- Dispersion Across The Istanbul Strait
- Swimming From Asia To Europe Across The Bosphorus
- Putting Words Into Concrete Action In Turkey
- Travel Ninja Swims From Asia To Europe
- Enjoying The Transition From The Pool To Open Water
- WOWSA Winners Possess Sense Of Adventure
- A Year With The Marathon Swimmers Federation