Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling Championship
The large stadium beside the town of Edirne on the Greek-Turkish border is the location for this annual summer wrestling festival, where over 1000 wrestlers come to participate in the week-long "sudden death"-style competition.
Wearing only a pair of leather trousers and a good slick of olive oil, competitors pair off and struggle to gain a grip on their opponent, before one is flipped over and pinned to the ground. The winner goes on to fight another winner, and so on, until there is only one wrestler left standing. The whole tournament can take days.
The event's somewhat kinky title belies the fact that it is a sport that is over five centuries old. Oil-coated wrestling or Yagli Gures was devised as a means of training troops, but it has since become a popular spectacle, with champions becoming national celebrities.
Combat aside, the festival also attracts gypsies from around the Middle East and Eastern Europe. A colourful fair springs up outside the arena, and visitors tired of cheering and booing fighters can come and lose themselves in the sights and sounds of the Bohemian way of life.
Related Information
Website: Kirkpinar Website
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Edirne Provincial Administration |
| Fax: | +90 (0) 284 212 5757 |
| Phone: | +90 (0) 284 213 9180 |
| Phone: | +90 (0) 284 213 9208 (tourist information) |
| Venue Information: | Edirne Stadium |
| Full Name: | Edirne Stadium,Edirne,Turkey |
| Address: | Edirne Stadium, Edirne, Turkey |
| Directions: | Within walking distance of the town centre. |
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Edirne Provincial Administration |
| Fax: | +90 (0) 284 212 5757 |
| Phone: | +90 (0) 284 213 9180 |
| Phone: | +90 (0) 284 213 9208 (tourist information) |
| Name: | Turkish Culture & Tourism Office in the UK |
| Location: | Turkey |
| Address: | 4th Floor, 29-30 St James's Street, London, SW1A 1HB |
| Email: | info@gototurkey.co.uk |
| Phone: | +44 (0) 207 8397778 |
| Fax: | +44 (0) 207 925 1388 |
| Name: | Turkish Ministry of Tourism |
| Location: | Turkey |
| Address: | Ismet Inonu Bulvar 5, Banceliever, Ankara |
| Email: | turizm.bilgi.islem@sim.net.tr |
| Phone: | +90 (0) 312 212 8300 (UK +44 (0) 20 7629 7771) |
| Fax: | +90 (0) 312 212 8391 |
