Wrestling in Turkey
Wrestling (Turkish: güreş) is considered as an "ancestral sport" in Turkey, represented foremost by the annual Kırkpınar tournament in oil wrestling.
Along with various highly esteemed styles of folk wrestling (known colloquially as çayır güreşi ("meadow wrestling") because bouts are held on grass fields), olympic wrestling (known colloquially as minder güreşi ("mat wrestling")) is widely practiced, while Greco-Roman wrestling is less popular due to freestyle wrestling's technical affinity with folk wrestling.
Turkey currently has only one professional wrestling promotion, Turkish Power Wrestling founded in 2010.
Turkish folk Wrestling Styles
- Styles practised nationwide (sanctioned by the Turkish Wrestling Federation):
- Karakucak Güreşi
- Oil wrestling (Turkish: Yağlı Güreş )
- Styles practised locally (sanctioned by the Turkey Traditional Sport Branches Federation):
- Aba Güreşi (jacket wrestling) (in Hatay)
- Aşırtmalı Aba Güreşi (belt wrestling) (in Gaziantep, Adana, Osmaniye)
- Kısa Şalvar Güreşi (in Kahramanmaraş)
- Kuşak Güreşi or Tatar Güreşi
- Kar üstü Karakucak Güreşi
- Şalvar Güreşi
- Torun Abası
- Siyah Aba
- Boz Aba
- Kırmızı Aba
- Maraş Abası
- Urfa Abası
- Çuha Abası
- Hamis Abası
Sport wrestling
FILA Wrestling World Championships were held in Turkey in 1957, 1974, 1994, 1999 and 2011. The Turkish team won the Men's freestyle championship in 1951, 1954, 1957, 1966 and 1994; and the Men's Greco-Roman championship in 2006 and 2009.