Wrestling is considered one of the most famous and oldest combat sports in the world. Due to its success in attracting many athletes to practice it and spectators to watch, several sports have derived from it. Some of these are part of the Olympic Games, such as freestyle wrestling and Greco-Roman wrestling, while others are more of a spectacle, as seen in professional wrestling championships in the United States. Additionally, some forms of wrestling are based on the cultures and history of various peoples. One such example is practiced in Turkey and is called oil wrestling, which is one of the most popular sports in the country. In this sport, wrestlers wear short, tight leather pants made from water buffalo hide and cover themselves in olive oil before engaging in a match. The competitors wrestle amidst a large crowd during the “Annual Kirkpinar” tournament, which is considered the oldest continuously running sporting competition in the world, with some of its matches even attended by the Turkish president.

The history of oil wrestling tournaments dates back to the Persian era, but it became a firmly established Turkish sport in the 14th century during a campaign led by Ottoman Sultan Orhan Ghazi to capture Thrace, the European side of the Turkish Marmara region. At that time, the Sultan, along with his brother Suleiman Pasha and 40 warriors, took control of forts in the area now known as the Greek/Turkish/Bulgarian border. There, they set up camp and started wrestling for entertainment. Two of the warriors wrestled for hours but failed to secure victory. Suleiman Pasha promised the winner a leather garment called a “Kispet.” The two wrestlers grappled from morning until midnight, but both eventually became exhausted and died. Their comrades buried them under a fig tree and left. Years later, soldiers revisited the burial site and noticed several springs had appeared. They named the place Kirkpinar. Over time, they began organizing oil wrestling tournaments there, which became a tradition in the city of Edirne, the capital of the Ottoman Empire for 91 years and the location of the annual championship.

The winner of the oil wrestling competition at the annual Kirkpinar tournament receives a cash prize of $100,000, along with the title of “Champion of Turkey.” If a wrestler wins the title for three consecutive years, they are awarded a gold belt weighing 1.5 kilograms. Banks, companies, or individuals who wish to sponsor the tournament also provide cash prizes to the wrestlers. The organizing body, the Edirne Municipal Council, distributes gold and cash prizes to the top three wrestlers, while also covering travel expenses for participants who did not secure a prize. The oil wrestling season lasts for eight months each year. To produce a skilled wrestler in this sport, they are trained by a master wrestler who teaches them the techniques and arts of oil wrestling. After the main wrestler leaves the “Field of the Braves,” the student continues the tradition. Wrestlers attend other wrestling tournaments before coming to the grand Kirkpinar competition, so that the judges can closely observe each wrestler’s style and proficiency. The sport is divided into categories, classified based on tournaments, experience, and professionalism rather than weight.

In Olympic wrestling, grabbing the opponent’s outfit is considered a foul, but in oil wrestling, the goal is precisely to grab hold of the opponent’s gear and insert the hands inside their outfit to gain as much control as possible. The outfit consists of leather pants below the knee called “Kispet,” traditionally made from buffalo hide, though today they are often made from calfskin, and weigh between 1.8 kg to 2.5 kg when oiled. By holding onto these pants, a wrestler can defeat the opponent using a move called “Baka Kazik,” which ends the match when the opponent’s back touches the ground. This is not an easy task, given both competitors are slippery with oil. In the tradition of the sport, the younger wrestler who defeats an older opponent must kiss their hand as a sign of respect. Until 1975, there was no time limit for a match in the Kirkpinar tournament, and wrestlers sometimes grappled for one or even two days until one could prove superiority. Wrestling matches typically last from 9 AM until dusk. If a match isn’t finished by then, it continues the next day. After 1975, oil wrestling matches were limited to 40 minutes. If no winner is determined within this time, wrestlers grapple for an additional 15 minutes, during which points are scored, and the player with the most points wins. In other categories, the match time is limited to 30 minutes, with an additional 10 minutes if needed. The first wrestler to score a point wins, a rule known as the golden point. In 1999, anti-doping regulations were introduced into the sport.

The Kirkpinar championship is the largest and most prestigious oil wrestling competition, with nearly a thousand wrestlers from across Turkey participating in matches over three days. The finals are held on the last day of the tournament, and it is common for the President of Turkey to visit Edirne on that day to watch the finals. The prize is presented by the president, the sponsor, and the mayor. Shortly before the finals, the municipality organizes an auction where bids are placed on a ram. The highest bidder becomes the sponsor for the following year’s tournament, hosting guests, providing accommodations, and organizing banquets and celebrations. The sponsor also distributes medals to winners in various categories and has the authority to stop matches and disqualify wrestlers if necessary. Former Turkish presidents like Turgut Özal, Süleyman Demirel, and Abdullah Gül have been among the spectators at this championship. One of the most famous champions is the wrestler “Alico,” who holds an unbreakable record for winning the Kirkpinar tournament for 27 consecutive years.

Specific rituals accompany the sport of oil wrestling, the most important of which is “Pesrev,” a theatrical prelude performed by the wrestlers. This includes both prayer and warm-up exercises. Wrestlers line up, with the reigning champion standing to the right. They then face the Qibla, hold hands as a symbol that every wrestler is a brother to the other and a companion in the sacred struggle, much like the legendary champions Ali and Selim, who are considered the founders of the competition.