AP PHOTOS: Oil wrestling festival returns in Turkey

[ASFN Admin]

After a year-long, pandemic-induced hiatus, the sounds of the zurna flute and beating drums again greeted thousands of Turkish wrestling fans who returned to the country’s northwest for a 600-year-old oil wrestling championship. Over three days, competitors clad in leather trousers known as “’kispet” and liberally doused in olive oil struggled to earn the title of Baspehlivani, or chief wrestler, the sport’s equivalent of world champion. This year’s tournament, the 660th to be held, saw Ali Gurbuz from the Mediterranean province of Antalya retain his title after a 48-minute bout with Ankara’s Ismail Koc on the grassy square.

Continue reading...