Oil wrestlers seek glory in Turkey's centuries-old contest
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July 3, 2022
ISTANBUL (AP) — It took nearly an hour of grappling with his opponent under the blazing Turkish sun for Cengizhan Simsek to win the tournament and join a long list of previous victors.
A very long list — this was the 661st Kirkpinar oil wrestling championship, taking place in western Edirne province.
In the festival, which is on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, wrestlers cover themselves in olive oil, making it more difficult for opponents to grab each other. The winner is the wrestler who makes his opponent's back touch the ground — or his "belly f...
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