Oil wrestling

Oil wrestling
	Tournament at the Kırkpınar oil wrestling festival in Istanbul, 2006
Focus	Wrestling
Country of origin	Turkey
Olympic sport	No

Oil wrestling (Turkish: Yağlı güreş), also called grease wrestling, is a traditional Turkish sport, where participants, called pehlivan (wrestlers) or başpehlivan (master wrestlers), wrestle while covered in oil. Competitions are held in a proving ground called an er meydanı.^[1]

Oil wrestling was performed by ancient communities 4,500 years ago in Thrace and the Balkans. As the Ottoman Empire extended into Europe, oil wrestling competitions have been held ceremoniously until modern times.^[2]

Unlike Olympic wrestling, oil wrestling matches may be won by achieving an effective hold of the kisbet. Thus, the pehlivan aims to control his opponent by putting his arm through the latter's kisbet. To win by using 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 his superiority, but in 1975 the duration was capped at 40 minutes for the baspehlivan and 30 minutes for the pehlivan category. If there is no winner, play continues for another 15 minutes in the baspelivan or 10 minutes in the pehlivan category, wherein scores are kept to determine the victor.^[3]

The annual Kırkpınar tournament, held in Edirne in Turkish Thrace since 1346,^[4] is the oldest continuously running, sanctioned sporting competition in the world.^[5] Oil wrestling festivals also take place in the Turkish-inhabited regions of Bulgaria^[6] (Ludogorie and Rhodopes), as well as northern Greece in Eastern Macedonia (Serres region) and West Thrace (Rhodope Mountains).^[7]^[8]^[9]^[10]

^ "Oil Wrestling".
^ "YAĞLI GÜREŞ FAALİYET TAKVİMİ | TGF".
^ "Edirne Kırkpınar".
^ Başaran, Fatma Nur; Guűrcűm, Banu Hatice (2011). "The Yağlı Güreş Tradition in Kırkpınar and the Last Master of Kıspet -Making". Folk Life. 49 (2): 103–124. doi:10.1179/043087711X12950015416276. S2CID 161378224.
^ "Oldest competition, Wrestling". Guinness World Records. 2021-12-03. Retrieved 2022-07-02.
^ Doychinov, Nikolay. "Bulgarian oil wrestlers, known as pehlivans..." Vancouver Sun.
^ 28-Ιουλ-2005 Άρθρο στην Εφημερίδα ο Χρόνος Archived 2011-11-05 at the Wayback Machine: Στα «Χίλια» Δερίου το πρώτο επίσημο πρωτάθλημα πάλης με λάδι.
^ 7-Αυγ-2007 Άρθρο στην εφημερίδα Ο Χρόνος Archived 2011-11-05 at the Wayback Machine: Υποτονική η προσέλευση του κόσμου στα 'Χίλια' - Πανηγύρι πάλης και ελεύθερης διακίνησης ιδεών".
^ "Λαϊκός Πολιτισμός Νομού Σερρών". Ιστοσελίδα Νομαρχιακής Αυτοδιοίκησης Σερρών. Archived from the original on 2011-08-26. Retrieved 2011-09-12.
^ "09.09.2011: Πάλη με λάδι στο οροπέδιο του Αλάν Τεπέ". Archived from the original on 2016-09-20. Retrieved 2011-09-12.

[1] "Oil Wrestling".

[2] "YAĞLI GÜREŞ FAALİYET TAKVİMİ | TGF".

[3] "Edirne Kırkpınar".

[:0-4] Başaran, Fatma Nur; Guűrcűm, Banu Hatice (2011). "The Yağlı Güreş Tradition in Kırkpınar and the Last Master of Kıspet -Making". Folk Life. 49 (2): 103–124. doi:10.1179/043087711X12950015416276. S2CID 161378224.

[:1-5] "Oldest competition, Wrestling". Guinness World Records. 2021-12-03. Retrieved 2022-07-02.

[vancouver-6] Doychinov, Nikolay. "Bulgarian oil wrestlers, known as pehlivans..." Vancouver Sun.

[xronos_26471id-7] 28-Ιουλ-2005 Άρθρο στην Εφημερίδα ο Χρόνος Archived 2011-11-05 at the Wayback Machine: Στα «Χίλια» Δερίου το πρώτο επίσημο πρωτάθλημα πάλης με λάδι.

[xronos_36187id-8] 7-Αυγ-2007 Άρθρο στην εφημερίδα Ο Χρόνος Archived 2011-11-05 at the Wayback Machine: Υποτονική η προσέλευση του κόσμου στα 'Χίλια' - Πανηγύρι πάλης και ελεύθερης διακίνησης ιδεών".

[na_serron_laikos_politismos_palh_ladi-9] "Λαϊκός Πολιτισμός Νομού Σερρών". Ιστοσελίδα Νομαρχιακής Αυτοδιοίκησης Σερρών. Archived from the original on 2011-08-26. Retrieved 2011-09-12.

[10] "09.09.2011: Πάλη με λάδι στο οροπέδιο του Αλάν Τεπέ". Archived from the original on 2016-09-20. Retrieved 2011-09-12.

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