As the glaring sun of high noon pushed the mercury over 35 degrees Celsius, wrestlers preparing for this year’s Historic Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling championship were just getting warmed up.
After a running and stretching session under the sweltering Edirne heat, wrestlers from the local Şahi Sports Club put on their gear or kispet, a type of lederhosen made from water buffalo hide, dowse themselves in olive oil and hit the green field at the 25 Kasım Stadium for practice.
Speaking to the media on the sideline of the practice session, club President Şamil Doğudelen explained why they pick the hottest time of the day for training.
"Oil wrestling, or yağlı güreş in Turkish, is a summer sport. It is done in hot weather. We train during the hottest part of the day, so we are ready for the actual event."
"We prefer to train during high noon. Wrestlers will often do running and strength training in their kispet. They have to be ready for the difficulties they might face at Kırkpınar or elsewhere," he said.
"As a team, we think we are on the right track. We don't come back empty-handed from anywhere we go," he added.
Atakan Makas, one of the wrestlers, said that the actual tournament was much tougher.
"You are performing among hundreds of other wrestlers dowsed in oil, while thousands of spectators are watching from the crowd. Even if the thermometer shows 35 degrees C, you feel like it’s 50 degrees out there. Therefore, we pick the hottest part of the day to train so our body gets used to the heat," Makas said.
Emir Atabak, another wrestler preparing for the event, said they were preparing themselves for the summer heat in July at Kırkpınar.
"It's almost time for Kırkpınar. Our training is going on according to plan and at full speed," he said.
The world’s longest-running sports competition and a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage, the 661st Historic Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling championship will be held in Turkey’s northwesternmost city Edirne from July 1-3.
