Kırkpınar (
Turkish for "forty springs") is a
Turkish oil wrestling (
yağlı güreş
Oil wrestling (), also called Turkish oil wrestling, is the national sport of Turkey. Oil wrestling includes oil and traditional dress, and its rules are comparable to karakucak.
In Assyria, ancient Egypt, and Babylonia, oil wrestling was perfo ...
) tournament where pehlivans (wrestlers) compete for three days. It is held annually, usually in late June, near
Edirne
Edirne (; ), historically known as Orestias, Adrianople, is a city in Turkey, in the northwestern part of the Edirne Province, province of Edirne in Eastern Thrace. Situated from the Greek and from the Bulgarian borders, Edirne was the second c ...
,
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
since 1360. In the finals held on the last day, the first, second and third winners of each category are determined. During the tournament, also the Kırkpınar Festival is organized.
Oil wrestling is a sport at the forefront of traditional
Turkish sports. Wrestling was held in all of the fairs organized all over the Ottoman Empire, but the wrestler who won the "chief" title only in Kırkpınar was known as the "chief wrestler" until the next year's Kırkpınar wrestling. This idea continues to this day.
Description
The contestants wear only leather knee-length shorts called ''kıspet''s. Before each bout, the wrestlers pour
olive oil
Olive oil is a vegetable oil obtained by pressing whole olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea'', a traditional Tree fruit, tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin) and extracting the oil.
It is commonly used in cooking for frying foods, as a cond ...
over their entire bodies.
Kırkpınar holds the Guinness World Record for the longest-running athletic competition.
History
Oldest known evidence
The history of oil wrestling links back to 2650 BC with evidence from
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt () was a cradle of civilization concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in Northeast Africa. It emerged from prehistoric Egypt around 3150BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology), when Upper and Lower E ...
,
Assyria
Assyria (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , ''māt Aššur'') was a major ancient Mesopotamian civilization that existed as a city-state from the 21st century BC to the 14th century BC and eventually expanded into an empire from the 14th century BC t ...
, and other regions in the Middle East. The
Babylonia
Babylonia (; , ) was an Ancient history, ancient Akkadian language, Akkadian-speaking state and cultural area based in the city of Babylon in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq and parts of Kuwait, Syria and Iran). It emerged as a ...
n body of evidence, a tiny bronze, was excavated near the Chafadji-temple. The bronze clearly concerns oil wrestlers as both athletes are depicted with olive vessels on their heads.
The oldest-known proof of the existence of oil-wrestling in Ancient Egypt is found in limestone from the tomb of Ptahhoteb near
Saqqara
Saqqara ( : saqqāra ), also spelled Sakkara or Saccara in English , is an Egyptian village in the markaz (county) of Badrashin in the Giza Governorate, that contains ancient burial grounds of Egyptian royalty, serving as the necropolis for ...
from the Fifth dynasty (about 2650 BC) from the same period as the Chafadji-bronze.
Another appealing proof is about 4000 years old and painted like a cartoon in a tomb near
Beni Hasan
Beni Hasan (also written as Bani Hasan, or also Beni-Hassan) () is an ancient Egyptian cemetery. It is located approximately to the south of modern-day Minya in the region known as Middle Egypt, the area between Asyut and Memphis.Baines, John ...
in Egypt. The deceased, who occupied this tomb, is assumed to have been a famous oil-wrestler in his time. In the first picture, the greasing of the wrestler and the oil stored in a reed stem is seen. In the second picture the wrestling starts. The last picture down shows the three step triumph of oiled wrestling, which is unchanged to this day. From this, the basic rules of the sport can be traced.
Centuries later, the
Persian Empire
The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire, also known as the Persian Empire or First Persian Empire (; , , ), was an Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great of the Achaemenid dynasty in 550 BC. Based in modern-day Iran, it was the larg ...
conquered Egypt, and the
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
shah
Shāh (; ) is a royal title meaning "king" in the Persian language.Yarshater, Ehsa, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII, no. 1 (1989) Though chiefly associated with the monarchs of Iran, it was also used to refer to the leaders of numerous Per ...
occupied the
Pharaoh
Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian language, Egyptian: ''wikt:pr ꜥꜣ, pr ꜥꜣ''; Meroitic language, Meroitic: 𐦲𐦤𐦧, ; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') was the title of the monarch of ancient Egypt from the First Dynasty of Egypt, First Dynasty ( ...
's throne. It was during this period that oil wrestling began in Iran.
Oil-wrestling in Iran
The history of the oil-wrestling tournaments as they are known today dates to the Persian Mythical Era, which, according to
Ferdowsi
Abu'l-Qâsem Ferdowsi Tusi (also Firdawsi, ; 940 – 1019/1025) was a Persians, Persian poet and the author of ''Shahnameh'' ("Book of Kings"), which is one of the world's longest epic poetry, epic poems created by a single poet, and the gre ...
's Shahnameh, started in 1065 BC. The legendary
pehlivan of this era is called
Rostam
use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) -->
, death_place = Kabulistan
, death_cause = With the conspiracy of his half-brother Shaghad, he fell into a we ...
, a hero depicted to constantly save his country from evil forces.
The ceremonial start of oil-wrestling, called by its Persian name "
Peshrev" has clear links with old
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
ian institutes as the Zurkhane, literally "house of strength". The building consists of a court, around which the men who will perform, arrange themselves, and a gallery for the ostad ("master") or morshed (spiritual leader) and the musicians. Nowadays, the musical accompaniment consists of a drum and recitation of portions of Ferdowsi's
Shahname
The ''Shahnameh'' (, ), also transliterated ''Shahnama'', is a long epic poem written by the Persian literature, Persian poet Ferdowsi between and 1010 CE and is the national epic of Greater Iran. Consisting of some 50,000 distichs or couple ...
. Various rhythms are employed, and a variety of movements associated with them, including displays of strength in manipulating heavy objects (such as weights and chains) and acrobatics.
Here the origin of the peshrev is found, considered by some to be preparation and a ceremony to greet the audience, to others a participatory form of dance. It is different from the usual step-right, step-left, step-right, kick-left, step-left, kick-right dance encountered in the rest of the region.
Greco-Roman Oil-wrestling
The word "Pehlivan" for a wrestler was first used in this period, when the Parthians (238 BC - 224 AD) expelled the
Greeks
Greeks or Hellenes (; , ) are an ethnic group and nation native to Greece, Greek Cypriots, Cyprus, Greeks in Albania, southern Albania, Greeks in Turkey#History, Anatolia, parts of Greeks in Italy, Italy and Egyptian Greeks, Egypt, and to a l ...
from Iran.
Huns
The
Huns
The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th centuries AD. According to European tradition, they were first reported living east of the Volga River, in an area that was par ...
arrived on the fringes of the
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...
in the late 4th century, moved on horseback out of the
steppe
In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without closed forests except near rivers and lakes.
Steppe biomes may include:
* the montane grasslands and shrublands biome
* the tropical and subtropica ...
s of
Central Asia
Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...
into Germany and France. As they approached the
Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...
and conquered the
Ostrogoths
The Ostrogoths () were a Roman-era Germanic peoples, Germanic people. In the 5th century, they followed the Visigoths in creating one of the two great Goths, Gothic kingdoms within the Western Roman Empire, drawing upon the large Gothic populatio ...
, they also drove the
Visigoths
The Visigoths (; ) were a Germanic people united under the rule of a king and living within the Roman Empire during late antiquity. The Visigoths first appeared in the Balkans, as a Roman-allied Barbarian kingdoms, barbarian military group unite ...
across the
Danube
The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...
into the Roman Empire, causing the crisis that led to the astounding defeat of the Roman army under the Emperor
Valens
Valens (; ; 328 – 9 August 378) was Roman emperor from 364 to 378. Following a largely unremarkable military career, he was named co-emperor by his elder brother Valentinian I, who gave him the Byzantine Empire, eastern half of the Roman Em ...
near
Adrianople
Edirne (; ), historically known as Orestias, Adrianople, is a city in Turkey, in the northwestern part of the Edirne Province, province of Edirne in Eastern Thrace. Situated from the Greek and from the Bulgarian borders, Edirne was the second c ...
(Edirne) in 378 AD.
The Huns were fanatic wrestlers as well as horsemen. After securing a strong position on the Roman side of the Danube, the Huns were checked by the Roman army of general
Aspar
Flavius Ardabur Aspar (Greek: Ἄσπαρ, fl. 400471) was an Eastern Roman patrician and ''magister militum'' ("master of soldiers") of Alanic- Gothic descent. As the general of a Germanic army in Roman service, Aspar exerted great influe ...
in Thrace (442).
In 447, Pehlivan
Attila
Attila ( or ; ), frequently called Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in early 453. He was also the leader of an empire consisting of Huns, Ostrogoths, Alans, and Gepids, among others, in Central Europe, C ...
came again into
Thrace
Thrace (, ; ; ; ) is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe roughly corresponding to the province of Thrace in the Roman Empire. Bounded by the Balkan Mountains to the north, the Aegean Sea to the south, and the Black Se ...
and stopped only when Emperor Thodosius II begged for terms. During the negotiations, a Roman-Hun wrestling competition was held in
Thermopylae
Thermopylae (; ; Ancient: , Katharevousa: ; ; "hot gates") is a narrow pass and modern town in Lamia (city), Lamia, Phthiotis, Greece. It derives its name from its Mineral spring, hot sulphur springs."Thermopylae" in: S. Hornblower & A. Spaw ...
. The dispute was settled by a wrestling match and winner Attila accepted payment of all tribute in arrears and a new annual tribute of 2,100 pounds of gold and territory south of the
Danube
The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...
.
Three years later Emperor Theodosius died falling from his horse. His successor,
Marcian
Marcian (; ; ; 392 – 27 January 457) was Roman emperor of the Byzantine Empire, East from 450 to 457. Very little is known of his life before becoming emperor, other than that he was a (personal assistant) who served under the commanders ...
(450-457), refused to pay Attila. The Huns did not retaliate, because the sister of the Roman Emperor
Valentinian III
Valentinian III (; 2 July 41916 March 455) was Roman emperor in the Western Roman Empire, West from 425 to 455. Starting in childhood, his reign over the Roman Empire was one of the longest, but was dominated by civil wars among powerful general ...
,
Honoria, sent to him her ring and a message to the King of the Huns and asked Attila to become her champion. Attila agreed to this marriage proposal. When the sister of the Roman Emperor was imprisoned, Attila decided to take care of her dowry. As Honoria was not available, next year Attila took a new, young bride named Ildico. The wedding day was spent with one of the greatest wrestling matches of this time.
Oil-wrestling for Sultan and Shah
During the period when
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
was brought into
Asia Minor
Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...
, spirituality and philosophy became part of the physical garment of the pehlivan. Oil-wrestling was established as a sport on its own. In Iran and the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
alike, wrestling became the national sport. In Iran, wrestling grew to the customary institution of the Zurkhane strong house, where people went to socialise and engage in athletic exercise. The wrestler is the strong-man in popular culture (in Persian the term is "big neck"), but he is also the pahlavan, the knightly hero, who is a free-living spirit and is generous and loyal.
The year 1360 is adopted by the organizers of the Edirne Kırkpınar as the date when
Ottoman soldiers started to organize annual oil-wrestling tournaments in Kırkpınar, a wrestling field "within the
samona village". According to the
Guinness Book of World Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...
, this legend made Kırkpınar the world's oldest continuously sanctioned sporting competition.
Once, the last bout between the two finalists was said to last through the night as neither was able to defeat the other. They were found dead the next morning, their bodies still intertwined. They were buried underneath a nearby fig tree, whereupon their comrades headed to conquer Edirne.
After the conquest, the soldiers came upon another fig tree, surrounded by a crystal-clear spring, so they renamed the surrounding meadow (which until then had been known as Ahirköy) Kırkpınar, which translates from
Turkish as "forty springs" or "forty sources". To commemorate the heroism of the conquering warriors, a wrestling tournament is re-enacted annually at this site.
In all tales, myths, and stories, there has always been a common respect for the oil-wrestlers. The pehlivan is described as being stronger than anybody, having a well built body, and clothed in heavy
leather
Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning (leather), tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffal ...
pants. From the past until now, the wrestlers have poured olive oil onto their bodies. In addition, it is still possible to see younger wrestlers kissing the hands of older athletes despite having defeated them, which is a gesture of respect.
According to historian Burhan Katia, the word pehlivan was also used for an officer, governor or huge and honest person. From the 16th century on, the term was exclusively used in the Ottoman Empire for the wrestler.
In 1590, a peace treaty was signed between Murat III and the Persian Shah. The model of the wrestling pants go back to this period. The design is still same for the Iranian "pahlivan" and the Turkish "pehlivan", except the Turkish wrestling pants are made of leather and are called "kispet", while the Iranian pahlivan wears a "pirpet", made of silk.
Famous wrestlers from Iran came to
Istanbul
Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
to compete with the Ottoman champions, and the Turkish champions were invited to Persia to show their strength.
Collecting strong men
Before 1582, all wrestlers were obtained from prisoners of war, the
Devşirme
Devshirme (, usually translated as "child levy" or "blood tax", , .) was the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman practice of Conscription, forcibly recruiting soldiers and bureaucrats from among the children of their Balkan Christian subjects and raising th ...
, or other slave sources. With the Devşirme system, the healthiest and strongest young men were recruited from the various provinces of the Ottoman Empire, and pehlivans trained from Devşirme boys were always known to be free enough to be honest, and throughout history trusted for their word and behaviour.
Wrestling championships were held everywhere in the Ottoman Empire. Every city and village had its annual wrestling event, like the one organized in Edirne today. Wrestling occurred in a variety of contexts, including social and ceremonial events. There were wrestling events on religious festival days, during special evenings of the Muslim fasting-month of
Ramadan
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...
, on agricultural events,
circumcisions and weddings. On special occasions, charity wrestling competitions were organized outside the palaces. Only the best wrestlers were accepted in training to become members of the elite
Janissary
A janissary (, , ) was a member of the elite infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultan's household troops. They were the first modern standing army, and perhaps the first infantry force in the world to be equipped with firearms, adopted dur ...
Corps.
Oil-wrestling for French Impératrice Eugenie
When the Ottoman sultan visited France in 1867, oil-wrestlers were part of his entourage and Impératrice
Eugenie visited the wrestling-tournament. Wrestling was a tough sport, but oil-wrestling was even harder. It was considered the most difficult sport in the world.
Virantekke
After the
Balkan War
The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkan states in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan states of Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria declared war upon the Ottoman Empire and defeated it, in the ...
of 1912, the event's original Kırkpınar location was lost, so the tournament was relocated to Virantekke, now the
Kapitan Andreevo
Kapitan Andreevo ( ) is a village near the Bulgaria—Turkey—Greece tripoint in Svilengrad municipality, Haskovo Province, southern Bulgaria. As of 2005 it has 948 inhabitants and the mayor is Dimitar Shiderov. Due to the proximity with Turkey, ...
checkpoint on the
Bulgaria
Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
n border.
Edirne

After 12 years, the annual oil-wrestling competition of Kırkpınar moved to yet another location. Since 1924, bouts are held on the Sarayiçi island near Edirne.
The last Ottoman sultan was exiled to
Malta
Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...
. In what remained of the Empire, almost everything traditional was replaced or westernized. The language was "purified" by replacing words of Persian or Arabic origin with words derived from Turkic roots. Even a sport prevailing any western sport was at stake.
Atatürk thought of putting the wrestling organizations directly under his own sponsorship. He ordered
Selim Sırrı Tarcan (1874–1956) to restyle oil-wrestling according to his guidelines for sport in the new Turkish Republic.
As a result, the winner of the Edirne competition was no longer "
Başpehlivan of the Kırkpınar" but "Champion of Turkey". Instead of traditional prizes such as the "Altın Kemer" (Golden Belt) and horses, donkeys, or camels; medals similar to those in the Western world began to be awarded.
It was feared that with such a change of reward "because they did so in Europe" effect a lack of participation by the pehlivans. The officer responsible for sports in the new republic had to come to a compromise, allowing the winning wrestler in the highest category to be awarded the title of "Başpehlivan of the Year", and rewards of whichever animals the organizers could obtain. Selim Sırrı Tarcan also restricted the Golden Belt: It could only be awarded for the Edirne Kırkpınar, and only to a "Turkish Champion" who had won the event for three consecutive years. The weight of the Belt was limited to 1450g of 14-carat gold.
The Kırkpınar wrestling competitions of Edirne were still held under the protectorate of the "
Agha". The Agha welcomed his guests and accommodated them in the hotel, held dinners, and organized festivities. Also, he awarded the prizes to the winners in their categories. Just before the final of the Kırkpınar, the organizing Agha held an auction. The bids were placed on a ram or sheep. The highest bidder became the "agha" of the next year's Kırkpınar and the main sponsor of the event.
When in 1928 an economic depression hit Turkey and no agha could be found, Selim Sırrı Tarcan made the Turkish
Red Crescent
The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human ...
(Kızılay) and the Institute of Child Care (Çocuk Esirgeme Kurumu) responsible for the organization and hosting of the guests.
In the olden days of the event, an agha was able to stop a match, disqualify wrestlers if necessary, and even cancel the wrestling events altogether. Today, the organizing committee makes such decisions. The Red Crescent and the Institute of Child Care would organize the Edirne Kırkpınar for 36 years, after which the task of organizing the event was assigned to the municipality of Edirne.
Edirne Kırkpınar municipality service
In 1964, the mayor of Edirne, Tahsin Sipka, signed an act making the Edirne Municipality responsible for the organization of the Edirne Kırkpınar. That same year, Mayor Sipka made the Edirne Kırkpınar a municipal service.
During a year, about 300 different oil-wrestling games are held in Turkey. They host an average of ten million spectators.
Introduction of time
Until 1975, there was no time-limit for wrestling in Kırkpınar. The pehlivans would sometimes wrestle one or two days, until they could establish superiority over their foes. Wrestling games would last from 9am until dusk and matches without a winner would continue the next day. After 1975, wrestling was limited to 40 minutes in the başpehlivan category. If there is no winner within these limits, the pehlivans wrestle for 15 more minutes with scores recorded. Those who score the most points in this last period are accepted as the winners. In other categories, the wrestling time is limited to 30 minutes. If there is no winner, ten minutes of scored wrestling follows.
Federation
On 20 June 1996, the Turkish Federation of Traditional Sport Branches (Geleneksel Spor Dallari Federasyonu) was founded by the Turkish Ministry. Riding, oil-wrestling, aba-wrestling and other traditional sports were assembled in the same federation under Alper Yazoğlu.
Oil-wrestling inroads in Amsterdam
During the 636th annual Kırkpınar of Edirne, Agha (mc) Hüseyin Sahin agreed with Veyis Güngör, the chairman of Türkevi
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
, and
Mohamed el-Fers (MokumTV Amsterdam) that they would unite their forces to promote traditional oil-wrestling in Europe and the world. For three days El-Fers filmed almost every match.
On 4 September 1996, MokumTV started a weekly program on the A1 Amsterdam channel, presenting this highly aesthetic "mother of all sports".
The late Hüseyin Sahin said during his speech, attended by Turkish president
Süleyman Demirel
Sami Süleyman Gündoğdu Demirel (; 1 November 1924 – 17 June 2015) was a Turkish people, Turkish politician, engineer, and statesman who served as the List of Presidents of Turkey, 9th President of Turkey from 1993 to 2000. He previously serv ...
, Edirne-mayor Hamdi Sedefçi, Veyis Güngör and Mohamed el-Fers that the Kırkpınar will exceed the borders of Turkey and unite the world.
The champion wrestlers, who attended that 636th Edirne Kırkpınar applauded the news of an Amsterdam Kırkpınar. In his speech at the award ceremony, President Süleyman Demirel said that Turkey would continue to raise world-famous wrestlers. Veyis Güngör told the press that the enthusiastic reactions in Europe proved that this traditional Turkish sport is not only everlasting, but thanks to television and video, is gaining popularity among non-Turkish people as well. In the days after the news was released, organisers received about 950 letters from oil-wrestlers throughout Turkey, who would enter competition for the title of Euro-champion of the Amsterdam Kırkpınar.
In 1997, the "Mother of All Sports" débuted in Western Europe, when the European Champions League was held in Amsterdam. No less than 22 television teams covered the event, and scenes from the Amsterdam Kırkpınar were shown on
CNN
Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
and the
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
alike.
The 2nd European Oil-Wrestling Championship held in Amsterdam already had a final with 42 wrestlers from Turkey, the
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
and other European countries. The winner was Cengiz Elbeye, Edirne Kırkpınar oil-wrestling champion. During the opening ceremony, Erkut Onart, the Turkish Consul General in the Netherlands, said that he believed the friendship between Turkish society and the European countries is intensified when these kinds of cultural values are brought to Europe.
In the world of oil-wrestling, Amsterdam became the most important annual event, after Edirne.
Special branch
Oil-wrestling was accepted as special branch by the Turkish Olympic Wrestling Federation. Sport and politics, as in 1996 the Turkish Federation of Traditional Sport Branches (Geleneksel Spor Dallari Federasyonu) was officially accepted as the federation representing oil-wrestling and other traditional Turkish sports.
Anti-doping control
In 1999, anti-doping checks were introduced by the Turkish Olympic Wrestling Federation during the Edirne Kırkpınar.
Foreign oil-wrestler rejected in Edirne
Oil-wrestling is a growing sport, not limited to Turkey. However, it is difficult for foreign wrestlers to enter this National Turkish Championship. In 2000, Dutch oil-wrestler Melvin Witteveen's entry in Edirne was rejected.
The event attracted little attention outside of Turkey until the 1990s, when the style of wrestling began to spread to
Western Europe
Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's extent varies depending on context.
The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the Western half of the ancient Mediterranean ...
. It has become particularly popular in the
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
, which now hosts its own annual version of the tournament, attracting participants from throughout
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
.
Yağlı güreş
Oil wrestling (), also called Turkish oil wrestling, is the national sport of Turkey. Oil wrestling includes oil and traditional dress, and its rules are comparable to karakucak.
In Assyria, ancient Egypt, and Babylonia, oil wrestling was perfo ...
wrestling matches are also held in
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
.
Most wins
Hüseyin Pehlivan won the event 7 consecutive years, starting 1935. Ahmet Taşçı won the event 9 times in 11 years. The 2021 event was won by Ali Gürbüz, his 4th victory.
See also
*
Wrestling in Turkey
References
External links
KırkpınarKey termsAward-winning Kırkpınar photo-story by documentary photographer Michael Craig
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirkpinar
Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
Sport in Edirne
Sports competitions in Turkey
Turkish traditional sports
Recurring sporting events established in the Middle Ages
1360 establishments in Asia
Recurring events established in the 14th century