Vasile Tofan heads to Turkey for Bosphorus swim
After negotiations with teachers and farmers, Prime Minister Vasile Tofan has taken several days of leave at his own expense and travelled to Turkey. There, he plans to fulfil a promise made to his 14-year-old son by swimming across the Bosphorus with him.
It may sound like an extreme sporting feat, but the Bosphorus swim is in fact a popular annual event organised by the Turkish Olympic Committee. Around 2,000 places are made available each year, with participation costing €650–700 this year, and the slots are usually snapped up within minutes of going on sale.
To qualify, participants need to be capable of completing the 6.5-kilometre route within two hours. The fastest swimmers finish in around 40–50 minutes, an impressive result helped considerably by the favourable current along the route.
A challenge within reach of experienced swimmers
Despite the event’s high-profile status, the conditions mean that the Bosphorus swim is within reach of any reasonably strong swimmer rather than being reserved for extreme athletes. Participants simply need to be at least 14 years old and provide medical and coaching certificates.
So Tofan is not quite an extreme sportsman embarking on a perilous transcontinental expedition. He is instead a prime minister who enjoys an active holiday and a father prepared to give his teenage son the chance to take part in an unusual challenge likely to provide lasting memories.
