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Extreme Sports

Long-Distance Swimmers from Central Asia Cross Mediterranean Strait Together

Fueled by thoughts of family, country, and just reaching dry land, two men from Central Asia swam across the Strait of Bonifacio from the French island of Corsica to the Italian island of Sardinia, an open water route of about 15 kilometers whose varying winds and currents sometimes add to the challenge for ultramarathon swimmers. Askar Ospanov, a 66-year-old Kazakhstani, and Shavkat Musinov, a 42-year-old Uzbekistani, drew mental strength from each other even though they didn’t speak much while swimming in wetsuits for nearly eight hours on Sept. 26. The leader of their group was Rinat Mustafin, a 46-year-old swimmer from Russia who had crossed the strait in 2019 and prepared his friends for their Mediterranean feat. They were assisted by a support boat. “The sea that day was challenging — with strong currents and waves — but we stayed coordinated and focused,” Musinov, a Tashkent businessman, said this week. “What united us was the shared feeling that we were doing something meaningful, not only for ourselves but also for our region.” Musinov and Ospanov were the first people from their countries to swim across the Strait of Bonifacio, a challenge that isn’t overseen by a governing body but has won international recognition over the years. The World Open Water Swimming Association has listed it as one of the world´s top 100 island swims. While the Strait of Bonifacio is among the shorter ultramarathon distances for swimmers (the English Channel, for example, is a cold water challenge of about 33 kilometers), conditions can add to the difficulty level. “The two relatively close opposite coasts and the seabed with an average depth of 50 meters, which in any case does not exceed 100 meters, mean that the winds and currents that are channeled increase their intensity,” the association says. “The crossing is often characterized by non-linear trajectories and more or less demanding waves.” Musinov said he met Ospanov’s son, Galym, in the Sahara Desert during the Marathon des Sables ultramarathon in 2023, and they bonded while traversing 250 kilometers together across the Sahara Desert in Morocco. The Uzbek athlete later met the elder Ospanov – Musinov calls him “Asqa aga” with respect and affection – and described the Kazakhstani swimmer as an emblem of determination and discipline. Musinov and Mustafin, the Russian swimmer, kept the same pace as Ospanov so they could stay together. Ospanov said on Instagram that “team captain” Mustafin set the route. They ended up swimming nearly 17 kilometers because of the pull of the currents. “Shavkat swam second, occasionally looking back to check on me, while I tried to draft behind him,” said Ospanov, a former government worker. “Twice — at the 6 km and 11 km marks — Rinat gave me CrampFix just in time, helping me when I got a leg cramp (vinegar, as it turns out, can interrupt the body’s cramp reflex). You live and learn!” CrampFix, which contains vinegar, is a supplement that relieves muscle cramps. Jellyfish are also a hazard in the...

Mountaineering

A Tale of Two Mountain Climbers in Asia: One Prevails, Another Succumbs

The line between triumph and disaster is sometimes thin in the world of mountain climbing. On Aug. 11, Eduard Kubatov of Kyrgyzstan reached the summit of K2 in Pakistan without supplemental oxygen, part of his bid to climb the 14 mountains internationally recognized as “eight-thousanders,” or peaks that are more than 8,000 meters above sea level. On the same day, hundreds of kilometers to the north, Russian Nikolay Totmyanin, 66, died after ascending another extremely challenging mountain – Pobeda Peak, which lies on the border between Kyrgyzstan and China and is 7,439 meters above sea level. It is also known by the Kyrgyz name Jengish Chokusu (Victory Peak). Totmyanin made the summit but then fell ill on the way down. “He came down on his own, pushing hard, knowing he had to get lower as quickly as possible. On the evening of August 10, 2025, he was admitted to intensive care in Bishkek. By morning, he was gone,” said Anna Piunova, editor of Mountain.RU, a Russian website that covers climbing news. “His climbing resumé is staggering, hard to believe a single lifetime could hold so much,” Piunova said on Instagram. “More than 200 ascents in the Caucasus, Pamirs, Tien Shan, Alps, Himalayas, Karakoram, and North America, including 63 big-wall climbs.” Piunova did not go into detail about Totmyanin’s illness, but the lack of oxygen at such heights can have lethal effects. Both K2 and Pobeda Peak can be approached from the Chinese side of the borders, but the difficulty of access and logistical challenges deter most international climbers from a route via China. While Totmyanin was a more recognized figure on the international climbing scene, Kubatov, the 53-year-old head of Kyrgyzstan’s Mountaineering Federation, has been building an impressive record and enjoys wide appreciation in Central Asia. Kubatov has scaled several of the eight-thousanders without supplemental oxygen. He celebrated the K2 achievement with a message on Facebook on Thursday that acknowledged the dangers of the mountain, where climbers faced an especially tough environment this season because of low snowfall and an increased threat of rockfalls. “Friends, K2 is ours! On August 11 at 17:00, I was on this great summit without using oxygen!” the Kyrgyz climber said. “Friends, yesterday, August 13 at 5 a.m., I descended from the summit of K2 — 8,611 meters! Unfortunately, during the descent, many suffered severe injuries, and one female climber died.” The climber, Guan Jing of China, died on Aug. 12 while descending from the K2 peak with an expedition led by Imagine Nepal, a company founded by Sherpas. The Tourism Times, a publication based in Kathmandu, reported on Wednesday that efforts were underway to recover her body. Kubatov was with a joint team from Seven Summit Treks and 14 Peaks Expedition, which are also based in the Himalayan country. The climber, who will surely receive a big welcome on his return to Kyrgyzstan, said he was “slightly unwell” but looking forward to going home. Totmyanin, the Russian climber known in some mountaineering circles as...

Mountain Climbing

Kyrgyzstan’s Eduard Kubatov Conquers K2 Without Supplemental Oxygen

Eduard Kubatov, the head of Kyrgyzstan’s Mountaineering Federation, has reached the summit of K2 in Pakistan (8,611 meters), the world’s second-highest peak after Mount Everest. He accomplished the climb without supplemental oxygen, according to the Russian mountaineering club, 7 Summits Club, which congratulated him on achieving “the summit of his dreams.” The joint team from Seven Summit Treks and 14 Peaks Expedition made it to the top of K2 on August 11. Kubatov, alongside three Chinese, a Turkish mountaineer, and five Nepalese Sherpas, was climbing with a Nepal-based operation. K2 is widely regarded as the most technically challenging mountain to climb. Its steep slopes, frequent avalanches, and unpredictable weather make it more dangerous than Everest. “This year, K2 was rather unkind to climbers. The sieges lasted longer than usual, and it was quite possible there would be no ascents at all. Most expeditions had ended without a serious summit attempt. The strongest and most persistent remained, and fortune smiled upon them. Congratulations to our friend Eduard Kubatov on his ascent of K2, the summit of his dreams! An outstanding athlete, no less an outstanding businessman, organizer, and leader, Kubatov has headed the Mountaineering Federation of Kyrgyzstan and achieved impressive results,” 7 Summits Club said. Kubatov is no stranger to high-altitude success. In May 2024, he summited both Lhotse and Makalu, each over 8,000 meters, without supplemental oxygen. He also became the second Kyrgyz climber to reach Everest’s summit in May 2021, following Dmitry Grekov, who first achieved the feat in 1997.

Kok boru

After Player’s Death, Kyrgyzstan Debates How to Make Kok Boru Safer

The death last month in Kyrgyzstan of a player of kok boru, a traditional game in which horse riders try to maneuver a headless goat carcass into an opposing team’s goal, has led to discussion in the parliament about whether a rough sport that is a source of regional pride should be made safer for man and horse alike. Mirlan Srazhdinov, a 45-year-old team captain, died during a game of kok boru at an equestrian stadium on the outskirts of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan’s capital, on March 12. A video that circulated on various online platforms purportedly shows the accident in which Srazhdinov appears to bend down to the side of his horse – and then falls to the ground after another horse and rider crash into him next to a barrier on the side of the sandy playing area. The accident alarmed some lawmakers who view kok boru as an emblem of cultural identity in Kyrgyzstan and elsewhere in Central Asia, acknowledging that the sometimes chaotic scrums on the dusty field have caused harm to contestants but rejecting the idea of banning the game altogether. Kok boru, which is recognized by UNESCO, has a wider following in the region. Kazakhstan, for example, has a variant known as kokpar, and it is known as buzkashi in Afghanistan. The game featured in the World Nomad Games in Kazakhstan last year, using a mould as a modern replacement for the carcass. Srazhdinov had suffered a brain injury and multiple fractures, including one at the base of his skull, the 24.kg news agency reported, citing Bishkek’s Emergency Medicine Center. The player who collided with him was placed in pre-trial detention for two months, and the referee was placed under house arrest. Both have been charged in connection with the death of the team captain. At a parliamentary session, lawmaker Balbak Tulobaev said accidents can happen in any sport and that kok boru should continue to be played with some adjustments to reduce the chance of injury. “There are forces that want to ban the game of kok boru because of this. But we must not allow this," Tulobaev said last week, according to the Kloop news organization. Parliamentarian Ilimbek Kubanychbekov agreed, though he also said changes were necessary because players were getting hurt. Deputy Akkulu Berdiev had concerns about the perils of play near the taikazan, or goal where the goat carcass (or mould) is thrown. He said riders have suffered spinal and other injuries in this area, and horses haven’t been spared either. The taikazan is a raised circular structure with a hollowed out part in the middle. A manual of the rules of kok boru indicates that is very much a contact sport: “To increase interest in the game, forceful techniques are allowed, used by both horses and players, but not violating the rules of the game - player can accidentally hit others by a horse (not strike), players can push each other with their torsos and chests without touching each other’s hands....

Extreme Sports

Kyrgyzstan’s SCNS Head Proposes Ban on “Fights Without Rules”

Kamchybek Tashiyev, the head of Kyrgyzstan's State Committee for National Security (SCNS), has proposed banning "fights without rules," citing their negative influence on youth and society. Tashiyev expressed these concerns during a live broadcast on Facebook, urging a national reevaluation of such activities. Tashiyev argued that these fights create a misleading notion among young people that success in life can be achieved through violence and coercion. “Fighting without rules is not a sport, but a type of brawling. Such competitions form a false belief in young people that success can be achieved by force and aggression. We need to raise a generation that relies on education and science,” Tashiyev said. He further highlighted the dangers associated with these events, emphasizing their harmful effects on both moral guidance and physical health. According to Tashiyev, many participants suffer severe injuries, with some becoming disabled by the age of 40. To address these concerns, Tashiyev urged athletes and young people to focus on Olympic sports, which he described as fostering physical development and receiving state support. Tashiyev also rejected the argument that the global popularity of unrestricted fighting justifies its practice in Kyrgyzstan, emphasizing that the country should prioritize its own values and traditions over external influences. From an Islamic perspective, Tashiyev stressed the incompatibility of such activities with moral principles, stating that “Even from the point of view of Islam, such actions are wrong - beating and maiming each other has no place in our values,” Tashiyev concluded by appealing to sports associations to take measures to restrict fights without rules and guide Kyrgyzstan's youth toward healthier and more constructive activities.

Tourism

Tajik Company Restores “Tatra Around the World” Expedition Bus

A minibus, involved in an accident in the Pamir Mountains during the "Tatra Around the World-2" expedition, is currently being repaired by a Tajik company. The accident occurred on August 5 , at 3,000 meters near the village of Tukhgoz in the Ishkashim district, Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, when the minibus veered down a slope and got caught in trees. Fortunately, none of the nine tourists, rescued by residents and the Committee for Emergency Situations, were seriously injured. Eight members of the expedition returned home, whilst Marek Havricek remained with the vehicle in Tajikistan. The minibus is now at the Obi Zulol factory, which has pledged to undertake and finance its repair. As soon as the vehicle is roadworthy, Havricek plans to travel through Tajikistan's neighboring countries and return to Europe. Once home, he is considering displaying the restored vehicle in a museum. The “Tatra Around the World” project, founded in 1987-1990, aimed to show people the real world, as opposed to that promoted through the prism of media and propaganda, and over the past five years has comprised expeditions to the Czech Republic, Iran, North Africa, South and North America, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkmenistan, Russia, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. The last expedition started in February 2020 and prior to the accident, the minibus, designed to accommodate 15 passengers, had covered over 175,000 kilometers through Europe, Africa, America, and Central Asia.