Legend has it that Turks are the world’s greatest wrestlers. Yağlı Güreş (oil wrestling) is a Turkish national sport that dates back to the 14th century. According to the Guinness World Records, Kırkpınar Oil Wresting Festival is the world's oldest continuously sanctioned sporting competition. The year 2009 saw already the 648th edition of the Festival.
The tournament, which took place in the town of Edirne on 3-5 July, covered 13 different categories and a special category for youth wrestlers. All in all, some 2,000 wrestlers competed for fame and glory. During this year's competition, several wrestlers who disagreed with the decisions of their referees waged a sit-in protest in the wrestling arena, disrupting the competition for a short while.
The winner of the main category, 23-year-old Mehmet Yesilyesil, took the famous “Gold Belt” from 27-year-old two-time champion Recep Kara. Kara was competing for the Gold Belt after coasting to victory in the last two years. This award, which is only given to the winner in the main category, is a very prestigious one. The wrestler can receive money or a horse, an ox, a calf or a ram. In old times, the champion wrestler was given a camel; the steerage wrestler was given a bull; big-medium was given a mare and the others were given similar things.
A new project with Sumo
The Mayor of Edirne Mustafa Buyuk, who delivered a speech during the 2009 Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling Festival, talked about creating a new project which will bring different wrestling styles like Sumo and Kırkpınar together. “Sumo is a different style, a culture that we are not yet fully introduced to, but we can use it to make an interesting and tourist-friendly event,” he said.
“In the future, we will invite sumo wrestlers to Kırkpınar and arrange exhibition matches with Turkish oil wrestlers. We should improve Kırkpınar. We have to do something. Then we can use Kırkpınar for Turkish tourism,” he concluded.
Oil wrestling rules and categories
In oil wrestling tournaments wrestlers cover themselves with olive oil, and wear tight short leather trousers called “Kispet” made out of water buffalo or calf leather.
Wrestlers called “Pehlivans” cover up their bodies with olive oil to make holding difficult. They oil up their left shoulders, chests, arms and leather pants with the right hand. Then, oiling up continues in the same way with the left hand. According to the traditions, pehlivans oil up the backs of each other using the oil kettle. Oilmen do rounds on the field with oil jugs, supplying oil for those pehlivans who demand oiling up during the match. In order to go for extra oiling, a pehlivan needs his opponent’s permission.
Unlike Olympic wrestling, oil wrestling matches may be won by achieving an effective hold of the kispet. Thus, the pehlivan aims to control his opponent by putting his arm through the latter's kispet. To win by this move is called "paça kazık". Originally, matches had no set duration and could go on for one or two days, until one man was able to establish superiority, but in 1975 the duration was limited to 30-40 minutes, depending on the category. If no winner is determined, another 10-15 minutes of wrestling ensues, wherein scores are kept to determine the victor. Drums and clarions have a tune that uniquely accompanies Kirkpinar. Musicians playing for the oil wrestling know tunes of wrestling very well and are able to balance the rhythm of the music with the tempo of the wrestling.
The wrestlers often attend other wrestling championships before coming to Kırkpınar. The referees are familiar with the technique and proficiency of each wrestler. The categories are divided into different subgroups (in Turkish, "boy"). In this arrangement, weight is not a deciding factor. A wrestler weighing 120kg might not be allowed to wrestle in the main category ("bas"). To wrestle in the main category, one must have had a final in the category one step lower ("bas alti") than the main category. A successful wrestler in regional championships might be allowed to wrestle in the main category if he is found to be superior to his competitors.
The Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling in history
Kırkpınar, which began in 1357, is the oldest wrestling competition in the world. The oil wrestling contest is accompanied by various cultural activities. Thousands of Turkish and foreign visitors flock to the city, including many high-level state officials who attend the competition every year. Although many oil wrestling matches are conducted throughout the country, none are as popular as the Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling Festival in Edirne.
Already at the age of four, boys begin to compete covering themselves in oil and putting on heavy water buffalo leather shorts. After the day’s competitions people celebrate with belly dancers swaying alluringly to the rhythm of the traditional drum (davul) and flute (zurna).Due to growing interest in the Kırkpınar oil wrestling competition, the number of people coming to Edirne grows larger by the year, causing accommodation problems in the city. This year, the hotels in Edirne, which in total have a capacity of 3,000 beds, could not meet the huge demand. Some people were seen spending the night in cemeteries and mosque gardens.
