Daredevil divers dive off the Bosnian bridge in a centuries-old tradition

MOSTAR, Bosnia (Reuters) – Divers jumped off a 24-meter (79-foot) tall Ottoman-era bridge in the Bosnian city of Mostar on Sunday, organizing a centennial competition despite the COVID-19 pandemic preventing many visitors to come.

The picturesque southern city is famous for diving competition on its Old Bridge, which was rebuilt in 2004 after it was destroyed by Croatian Bosnian artillery during the Bosnian war in the 1990s, and has become a symbol of reconciliation.

The annual contest, believed to date from the 15th century, is a major tourist attraction. Diving from the bridge is also a traditional rite of passage for local youth.

Lorens Listo, organizer of the diving competition and a 13-time winner, said the number of competitors had not decreased significantly because many people were “eager” to compete.

“But the audience dropped and there are no tourists in the city,” he told Reuters, noting the empty streets that in previous years were filled with thousands of tourists who came to the city to watch the contest.

Under measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, only 100 people were able to watch the contest, from a fenced platform just below the white bridge that arches over the Neretva River.

A few hundred more viewers watched from further away, observing patterns of social distancing.

After a strict blockade, Bosnia has seen an increase in infections since the restrictions were reduced in late June and the reopening of borders with neighboring countries.

On Sunday, Bosnia reported 10,334 coronavirus cases, of these nearly 5,000 in the past three weeks, and 287 deaths.

Harun Bojagoric, 17, a native of Mostar, was among the 32 competitors in the diving contest. It was his first time, and his nerves trembled as he prepared to take the plunge.

“I hope to make it to the second round,” he said. “But there is always anxiety.”