The Basilica Cistern in Istanbul, Turkey. Built in 542 AD, it hosted Frederic Von Osten and Dominik Gührs, two of the best wakeboard athletes in the world. They rode their wakeboards between historical columns for a very special Red Bull project.

Renowned for its historical wealth, Istanbul also added wakeboarding underground to its never-ending list of urban legends. The 1500-year-old Basilica Cistern hosted the special project of Red Bull athletes Frederic Von Osten and Dominik Gührs. Having won many victories around the world, the two athletes are now striving to break new ground by riding their wakeboards at special locations all around the world.

 After stating that as the intersection point of diverse cultures, Istanbul is the best possible location for this special project, Von Osten said the following about the project: “This is my first time in Istanbul. It’s a beautiful and very big city. It’s full of history.

Fredy von Osten performs at Red Bull Waking the Basilica in Istanbul, Turkey on October 2nd, 2012 (c) Daniel Deak Bardos/Red Bull Content Pool

It was really impressive to encounter one of the most extraordinary locations suitable for wakeboarding in this historical place. I’ve been good friends with Dominik for a long time, and we attended many competitions together. This time, it was great to ride without the pressure of competition in a fascinating historical location. Let me put it this way: I’ve never had such a breath-taking experience before. While people walked and street cars passed  above us, we were riding wakeboard underground.”

The activity was carried out with utmost attention by a team of 30 people in total, led by a skeleton crew of 8 people, who have set up cable wakeboard assemblies at most interesting locations of the world for the last 12 years. During the assembly, which required a preparation period of 4 hours, the fish in the water were moved out of the area and not a single nail was driven to the area. Rather than a metal construction, a plastic tube was used as the set-off ramp. The athletes worked their magic between 9-meter high historical columns on the 40-centimeter deep water. The footage of this extraordinary sports event will be distributed to press and broadcast institutions throughout the world thus promoting the Basilica Cistern (also known as the Yerebatan Sarnici), already a location for James Bond’s 1963 film ‘From Russia With Love‘,  a beautiful treasure of Turkey.

Frederic Von Osten: Born in 1993, Red Bull Athlete Frederic Von Osten has been wake boarding since he was 11. He crowned his victories in various tournaments throughout Europe with the Action Sports Award – Athlete of the Year prize in 2010 and managed to achieve a deserved fame in spite of his youth.

Fredy von Osten poses for a portrait after performing at Red Bull Waking the Basilica in Istanbul, Turkey on October 2nd, 2012 (c) Daniel Deak Bardos/Red Bull Content Pool

Dominik Gührs: Red Bull Athlete Dominik Gührs was born in 1990 and has been wakeboarding since he was 10. The athlete has won the German Championship, European Championship and ranked 2nd in the IWWSF World Ranking List, and spends most of his time attending international competitions.

Read More about Red Bull here with its Mission To The Edge of Space with Felix Baumgartner and James Bond in Turkey.