Swedish athlete kicks off 10-year swimming expedition from Istanbul

TEKİRDAĞ

A 65-year-old Swedish swimmer set off from the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul on a 10-year swimming adventure, hoping to finish his unusual voyage at the Spanish port city of Cádiz.

Commencing his journey some three weeks ago, Jari Cennet Tammi recently arrived in the northwestern province of Tekirdağ.

Tammi clarified that he first considered embarking on his journey from Greece but ultimately decided against it. “I started [the journey] from Istanbul because I wanted to cover a greater distance. Additionally, in this way, I marked the beginning of the journey in Asia.”

He intends to swim around 10,000 kilometers during this process, with the intention of turning this one-of-a-kind experience into a book at the conclusion of this 10-year journey and pass it on to future generations.

Throughout his journey, he seeks to travel along the coasts of around 10 different nations.

He asserted that his advanced age is a benefit rather than a drawback throughout this difficult process, pointing out that aging has made him more self-reliant.

“Living alone and camping brings me immense joy, which is why I pursue this,” he said, explaining his motivation behind the objective.

The Swedish swimmer also noted that he was thrilled with the intensive interest he received from the Turkish people as a result of his decision to begin this journey from Türkiye.

“I was astonished to learn that Turkish folks are really amiable; they constantly feed me and buy me things. They are seriously friendly people,” he said.

Mesut Ayvacıklı, a Turkish citizen residing in Tekirdağ, decided to host the Swedish swimmer when he heard about this unique journey.

“We really believe that the world ought to pay attention to what he is doing. We wanted to support him with this, that’s why we came together,” he said.

Tammi spent the night in the province thanks to Ayvacıklı’s assistance and carried on with his swimming excursion the next morning.