Saint Martin’s, Jan 18 (V7N) — Thirty-five swimmers successfully participated in the Bangla Channel swimming event on Saturday, crossing the 16.1-kilometre sea route from Shah Porir Dwip in Teknaf to Saint Martin’s Island. The challenging channel, popularly known as the Bangla Channel, connects the mainland of Bangladesh with the country’s only coral island.

Although 37 swimmers initially registered for the competition, 35 qualified for the final swim. The race began at 9:35 am from the western beach of Shah Porir Dwip. Cox’s Bazar District Sports Officer Alauddin formally inaugurated the event.

The swimmers are set to complete the race upon reaching the northern beach of Saint Martin’s Island. The event was organized by Shohorj Adventure as part of the Youth Festival under the Ministry of Youth and Sports, with patronage from the Department of Sports.

Former Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) member Saiful Islam Russell participated in this year’s Bangla Channel swim. He has previously crossed the channel six times and once completed a double crossing. In 2023, he emerged champion by completing the swim in 3 hours and 50 minutes. Russell is aiming to win the Bangla Channel title for the seventh time.

The competition also featured MST Sohagi Akter, the first woman to successfully cross the Bangla Channel, who participated again this year.

Despite rough sea conditions, Saiful Islam Russell expressed confidence, saying he would try his best to finish first once again.

Lipton Sarker, chief executive of Shohorj Adventure and popularly known as the “King of Bangla Channel” for crossing the channel 20 times, said that 35 swimmers, including two women, took part in the event this year. He added that the swim was conducted following international rules, with comprehensive safety measures in place. Each swimmer was accompanied by a support boat and rescue personnel.

Organizers said the Bangla Channel swim has now gained international recognition. The main sponsor of this year’s event was Dhaka Bank PLC, while Dynamic Dentistry served as the powered-by sponsor. Event partners included Visathing, Studio Dhaka and Sorkar Agro.

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