Offering a good dose of history, culture and sports, the historic Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling contest will mark what organizers say is its 655th iteration. Dating back to the early days of the Ottoman Empire, the competition, that will be held from July 22 to July 24 in the former Ottoman capital and current northwestern province Edirne, is expected to attract a large number of locals and foreigners.
Fifty-six wrestlers will try to beat their opponents for the Golden Belt, the coveted tournament prize, while about 2,000 others will take to the men's field, or "er meydanı" in Turkish, the oil wrestling stadium where well-oiled wrestlers donning only "kispet," a special type of trousers, will try to take each other out by putting their rivals' back on the ground, lifting the opponent above his shoulders or if one of the contestants collapses.
Musa Aydın, head of the Turkish Wrestling Federation, is confident this year's event will attract as big an audience as it has for decades, although side events, including concerts by renowned pop music singers, were scrapped following last week's foiled coup attempt.
Orhan Okulu, who hails from the southern city of Antalya, won last year's head wrestler title and is looking to win the title again this year so he will not have to hand over his Golden Belt. Any wrestler winning the competition three years in a row becomes the permanent owner of the belt, something oil wrestlers from across the country shoot for.
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