Thursday 17 December 2009

What is Turkish Oil Wrestling?

What is Turkish oil wrestling
This is one of the most popular sports in Turkey. Yagli gures means literally oiled wrestling. The wrestlers wear tight short leather trousers called "Kispet", made of water buffalo leather weighing approximately 13 kilograms, and they cover themselves with olive oil. Matches take place throughout the country but the most famous and most important tournament takes place in the northwest of Turkey by the end of June and beginning of July.
It's a big fair as well with music and celebrations and it goes on until the morning.In the entertainments, belly dancing is accompanied by Turkish traditional musical instruments 'davul' (drum) and 'zurna' (a type of flute) and singings.
In Olympic wrestling, holding from the wrestling suit is regarded as a foul. In oil wrestling, most games are made on the kispet.The wrestlers try to put their hands go through the kispet of their opponents as much as possible. To a kispet tied well, it is not possible to put a hand or arm through. The pehlivan that can achieve putting his hand through his opponent's kispet, can control him this way and hold from the lower end of his pants, 'paca', and this way can beat his opponent with the game called 'paca kazik'. A younger wrestler defeating an older wrestler would kiss the older wrestler's hand.
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 capped at 40 minutes for the baspehlivan and 30 minutes for the pehlivan category. If no winner is determined, another 15 minutes—10 minutes for the pehlivan category—of wrestling ensues, wherein scores are kept to determine the victor.

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