New Delhi, Aug. 26 -- Coast guard and maritime police vessels in Istanbul were searching Monday for a Russian swimmer who went missing during a cross-Bosphorus race a day earlier, Turkish state-run media reported.

The swimmer, named by the Anadolu news agency as Nikolai Svechnikov, failed to complete the 6.5-kilometer (4-mile) annual race from Istanbul's Asian shore to the European side.

A statement from the Istanbul governor's office said security camera footage and a chip worn by the participants showed the 30-year-old professional swimming coach had started the race but "had not exited the sea at the finish line."

More than 2,800 swimmers from 81 countries took part in Sunday's competition, which is considered one of the world's lea...