Fatigue, sweat and lots of olive oil led a group of oil wrestlers to the wrong opponents at a major tournament in the northwestern city of Kocaeli’s Kartepe district.
Four wrestlers, including three-time Kırkpınar champion Ahmet Taşçı, started the semifinal matches very close and continued in total chaos when they had trouble to decide against whom to wrestle. Speaking after the match, the wrestlers said sweat, mixed with olive oil, burnt their eyes, preventing them from seeing properly and they continued to wrestle against whomever they could grab.
Fans enjoyed the pile of wrestlers on the grass until referees intervened and stopped the match
Oil wrestling (Turkish :yağlı güreş), also called grease wrestling, is the Turkish national sport. It is so called because the wrestlers douse themselves with olive oil. It is related to Uzbek kurash, Tuvan khuresh and Tatar köräş The wrestlers, known as pehlivan (from Persian پهلوان or pehlevān, meaning "hero" or "champion") wear a type of hand-stitched lederhosen called a kisbet (sometimes kispet), which are traditionally made of water buffalo hide, and most recently have been made of calfskin
Unlike Olympic wrestling oil wrestling matches may be won by achieving an effective hold of the kisbet. Thus, the pehlivan aims to control his opponent by putting his arm through the latter´s kisbet. To win by this move is called paça kazık. Originally, matches had no set duration and could go on for one or two days, until one man was able to establish superiority, but in 1975 the duration was capped at 40 minutes for the baspehlivan and 30 minutes for the pehlivan category. If no winner is determined, another 15 minutes—10 minutes for the pehlivan category—of wrestling ensues, wherein scores are kept to determine the victor.
The annual Kırkpınar tournament, held in Edirne in Turkish Thrace since 1362, is the oldest continuously running, sanctioned sporting competition in the world. In recent years this style of wrestling has also become popular in other countries; establishing the most notability in the Netherlands and Japan