THE PROJECT SPORT AND US “Non-OLYMPIC GAMES”. A SPORTING TRADITION, KIRKPINAR OIL WRESTLING.
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Transcript of THE PROJECT SPORT AND US “Non-OLYMPIC GAMES”. A SPORTING TRADITION, KIRKPINAR OIL WRESTLING.
THE PROJECT
SPORT AND US
“Non-OLYMPIC GAMES”
A SPORTING TRADITION,KIRKPINAR OIL WRESTLING
Turkey’s great sporting tradition, oil
wrestling, was born in the town of Kirkpinar, a few miles from the present-day border with Greece, at the
beginning of the fifteenth century.
Almost every year since then, boys and men traveled there from
across the country to test their strength and skill. This is the only
wrestling tournament in the world at which
contestants use three tons of olive oil.
Rules for these matches have changed
only slightly over the centuries. In olden
times they could go on for hours or even days, since only way to win
was to pin one’s opponent to the
ground.
Some contestants expended so much
energy that they died on the field. Now it is
also possible to win on points, and matches
are limited to forty-five minutes.
But wrestlers still fight stripped to the waist, wear specially designed leather trousers and enjoy the boundless admiration of the countrymen. Most important, they begin fighting only after being drenched with olive oil from head to toe.
Once oiled, the competitors skip across the field in lines,
slapping their knees and jumping as they move forward. Drummers in
Ottoman costume keep a steady beat, as matches are about to start the announcers
sing the praises of “Ye, oh great wrestlers” and recite
verses like this one:
- You cannot get wood from a willow branch. - Every girl cannot be a woman. - Every woman can give birth. - But not every boy can be a wrestler.
Lovers of this sport say it is psychological as well as physical. Because matches go on for so
long, combatants cannot fight without interruption. They spend much time
circling, grunting, feinting and trying to intimidate
each other.
When they sense an opening they charge, grab
their opponent, often between the legs, and try to smash him to the ground.
Pinning an opponent’s shoulders to the ground for three seconds, or throwing him down more often than he can throw you down, is
what it takes to win.
The undisputed king of modern oil wrestling is a
former factory worker named Ahmet TASCI. He is an eight-time champion in the heavy-weight division, considered a superman because he continues to
win even though he is more than fifty years old.
The only man to have defeated him
since he rose to greatness in the
1980s is the whippersnapper in
his mid-thirties named Cengiz
Elbiye.
On the day I saw them face off I realized I was
seeing not only a match but the classic confrontation of aging
champion versus rising challenger.
Reference: Stephen Kinzer, “Crescent and Star: Turkey between two Worlds", Farrar, Strauss and Girous, 2001
Karapelit Ali Tekten Primary School Belen / Hatay
Bu proje T.C. Avrupa Birliği Bakanlığı, AB Eğitim ve Gençlik Programları Merkezi Başkanlığınca (Ulusal Ajans http://www.ua.gov.tr) yürütülen Hayatboyu
Öğrenme Programı kapsamında ve Avrupa Komisyonu'ndan sağlanan hibeyle gerçekleştirilmiştir. Ancak burada yer alan görüşlerden Ulusal Ajans veya
Avrupa Komisyonu sorumlu tutulamaz."