Oceanman Greece - Oitylo Bay 2017

The Oceanman Greece - Oitylo Bay 2017 Open Water Race was held with great success on Sunday July 2nd 2017 in the idyllic Oitylo bay. More than 270 athletes, men and women of all ages, dived into the deep blue waters of the Messinian Gulf and claimed a place on the podium and the title of Oceanman and Oceanwoman.

Mani Sports and Tourism Development Association, Mani Water Sports and WayOut Adventures, the three companies that undertook the implementation of the event, offered the participants and spectators a well-organized event, that young and old enjoyed to the fullest. Many people embraced the international swimming celebration, whose purpose was to highlight the fastest swimmers in different distance categories, securing them the desired ticket to the grand final of the championship to be held in October in Spain.

The event managed to attract global interest as swimmers from Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Spain, Germany, Turkey, USA, UK, Hong Kong, UAE, Kazakhstan and of course Greece joined the organizers becoming the first participants in a sporting event that came to stay.

Athletes had to choose between three distances:

• 2,5Km Popular Distance

• 5.0Km Half Oceanman

• 7.5Km Oceanman

More than 130 participants in the Popular route, 77 in the Half Oceanman and 69 in the Oceanman dived into Oitylo Bay in Limeni, crossing along the coastline and after completing a triangular course of 2.5 kilometers, finished with a crowd of people cheering at the moment when volunteers of the organization offered participation medals along with water and fruit to the swimmers.

The local community was very supportive as the race was held under the auspices of the Municipality of Eastern Mani, the Hellenic Swimming Federation (KOE), as well as the Ministry of Tourism and Peloponnesus S.A.

The organizing companies would like to thank all those who helped make this vision a reality, the volunteers, who with their tireless and positive energy constantly encouraged the athletes, the businessmen and the people of the region for their continuous support and of course all the Public Bodies who helped in the successful organization of Oceanman Greece as well as the Henry Dunant Medical Center, Lifeguard Hellas and Petra kai Fos Hotel for their support.

For Oceanman Greece

Yannis Kotileas & Armandos Linardos