BUDAPEST (HUNGARY) – As part of the Budapest Urban Games, as many as 700 adventurous swimmers dived into the waters of the Danube in the Hungarian capital on Saturday and swam across the longest river in the EU.
The event is promoted by the Budapest municipality to encourage city residents to use the parks, roads and waterways in the city as sports venues.
The biggest challenge for the swimmers was to remain within a corridor of boats stretching 430 metres from one shore to the other.
“If you try once, you will feel the power of the river, and it’s amazing… how strong and fast the river is,” said former Olympic and world champion boxer Istvan Kovacs, 50.
“To swim in our beautiful river… it’s a great feeling,” he said.
Only 20-25 swimmers were allowed to be in the water to ensure safety.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field.