The Samsung Bosporus Cross Continental Swimming Race has been selected as the “Best Open Water Swimming Race” by the World Open Water Swimming Association (WOWSA) that places the race first in list of 100 open water races

The race, organised by the Turkish Olympic Committee (TOC) since 1989, sees swimmers from all across the world swim a 6.5km route from Kanlıca on the Asian side of Istanbul to Kuruçeşme Cemil Topuzlu Park on the European side. It is the world’s only inter-continental swimming competition.

This year’s event was held on 23 July and saw 2,147 swimmers from 49 countries take part. The general class champions were Kristina Kochetkova with 54 minutes 57 seconds for women, and Evgeny Eliseev, with 50 minutes 58 seconds for men, both from Russia.

The award sees the Bosporus race top a list of more than 100 open water races drawn up by WOWSA’s members. Last year, WOWSA selected the race as the “World Open Water Swimming Offering of Year”.

Each year, the TOC invites celebrity guest swimmers to take part in the race. High-profile American open-water swimmers Lexie Kelly, who was nominated for the WOWSA Performance of the Year award in 2012, and Doug Woodring, who was nominated for WOWSA Man of the Year in 2011, were invited to swim in this year’s race.

TOC President Professor Dr Uğur Erdener said:

“It is a great honour to receive such a prestigious award, and it is an amazing feeling to see that all of the hard work that goes into the organisation of this event is recognised. I would like to thank all of the dedicated people who work incredibly hard to make this race as good as it is.

“We have seen the Bosporus race go from strength to strength over the past few years. Participation levels and public interest are continuing to grow, and it is a great source of inspiration for young people throughout the city to be more active. It is also an important part of Istanbul’s tourism industry, and it is wonderful to see people from all over the world coming to be a part of it. We will now build on this award and find ways to make the race even better in the future!”

First held in 1989 with 68 swimmers taking part, the Bosporus race has since evolved into a world-famous international swimming event attracting thousands of participants from all across the globe.