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Organizers said a record number of wrestlers were taking part in
the annual Kirkpinar tournament, in which participants don
leather trousers and pour olive oil over their bodies before
competing in a grassy field.
Among those challenging for the golden belt and a winner's prize
of 50,000 lira ($14,000) was Umit Kinali, 32, a bodyguard from
Bodrum in southwest Turkey.
"My grandfather was an oil wrestler and I want to continue our
family tradition," said Kinali. "Wrestling is fun," he added,
before competing in a bout.
Sixty wrestlers will fight their way through qualifying to
compete on Sunday in the final of the 656th edition of the
annual contest in Edirne, near the border with Greece and
Bulgaria.
The stands in the 25,000-seated Sarayici stadium were sparsely
filled on Friday, but were expected to be full on the final day
of a contest which the festival's official website
(www.edirnekirkpinar.com) describes as the world’s longest
continuously held sporting event, launched in 1357.
(Reporting by Murad Sezer; Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by
Christian Radnedge)
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