Children Will Be Amazed to Know Oil Wrestling

Children Will Be Amazed to Know Oil Wrestling

Oil Wrestling is also known as Grease Wrestling.  It is the national sport of Turkey. The sport got its name because the wrestlers drench themselves with olive oil. It is mainly related to Uzbek kurash, Tuvan khuresh and Tatar köräş. Kispet is a type of hand – stitched lederhosen that is wore by the wrestlers also known as pehalvan. Pehalvan means “champion”. Kispet was traditionally made of water buffalo hide and recently it was found to be made of calfskin.

Oil wrestling is different from Olympic wrestling and the wrestling matches can be won by achieving an effective hold of the kisbet. Thus, the strategy used by wrestler is to control his opponent by keeping his arm through the latter’s kisbet. Paça kazık is the name of the move of holding kisbet to win. Initially, matches never had any kind of time duration. They could go on for one or two days until one wrestler establishes superiority over other.

In 1975, duration of 40 minutes was set for baspehlivan and 30 minutes was set for pehlivan category.

By: Bhavna Sharma

Content: Wrestling