Yagli güres is also the Turkish national sport. It is commonly known as Turkish Wrestling or Oil Wrestling because the wrestlers cover themselves in olive oil.
The wrestlers are called pehlivan, meaning ‘hero’ or ‘champion’. They wear trousers (kisbet or kispet), which were originally made from water buffalo leather, although calfskin is also used nowadays.
Unlike other forms of wrestling, matches in Oil Wrestling can be won by gripping the kisbet in a particular way.
The pehlivan’s aim is to control their opponent by putting an arm through the back of the kisbet. Winning in this way is called a paça kazik.
Originally, matches had no time limit and could sometimes last one or two days. This changed in 1975, when the maximum match duration was set at 40 minutes in the baspehlivan category and 30 minutes in the pehlivan category.
If there is no winner at the end, there is a 15-minute extension for the baspehlivan category and a 10-minute extension for the pehlivan category. During the extension, scores are recorded so that a winner can be declared at the end.
The annual Kirkpinar tournament has been held in Edirne since 1362. This makes it the oldest continuously held sporting event in the world. In recent years, Turkish Oil Wrestling has been gaining popularity worldwide and is also becoming popular in other countries, especially the Netherlands and Japan.