07.07.2025 13:20
At the 664th Historical Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling Championships, this year the most medals were won by athletes from Antalya. Orhan Okulu won the title of chief wrestler and took home the golden belt, while 19 other wrestlers from Antalya also placed in the competitions.
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In the 664th Historical Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling, this year the most medals went to Antalya, just like last year.
THE MOST MEDALS TO ANTALYA
This year, 762 wrestlers competed in the Sarayiçi Er Meydanı, and 56 wrestlers from 14 different weight categories succeeded in reaching the podium. The most medals in the organization were obtained by the wrestlers from Antalya. In the final match for the title of chief wrestler, Orhan Okulu wrestled against Feyzullah Aktürk. Orhan Okulu defeated his opponent and brought the golden belt back to Antalya once again. The support and importance given to oil wrestling by Antalya was demonstrated by the fact that 20 wrestlers placed in the rankings.
The ranking of the wrestlers who received medals by province is as follows:
Antalya (20), Balıkesir (9), Bursa (6), Tokat (5), Ankara (4), Istanbul (3), Kocaeli (3), Edirne (2), Çanakkale (1), Muğla (1), Manisa (1), Sakarya (1)
''INSTITUTIONS SHOULD UNITE''
Edirne, known as the heart of oil wrestling, despite hosting the Historical Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling, draws attention to the low number of Edirne wrestlers who entered the arena.
Of the 762 wrestlers competing in the 664th Historical Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling, 17 were from Edirne. Among these wrestlers, Teyfik Gülter succeeded in the small weight category, and Aydıncan Gümüşdağ succeeded in the Teşvik 2 category.
Sports experts and civil society representatives state that a series of measures need to be taken to improve Edirne's performance.
Şamil Doğu Delen, the Provincial Representative of the Turkish Traditional Wrestling Federation, told AA correspondent that their goal as hosts is for both the ağalık belt and the chief wrestler's golden belt to be worn by the people of Edirne.
Delen emphasized that Edirne is an ancient city capable of increasing the number of wrestlers and its success in this regard, stating, "In this sense, institutions should unite. There are clubs and organizations that support wrestling and train athletes, such as Trakya Birlik and Edirne Municipality, but they all have to use their power and resources economically. The key here is to unite. Training wrestlers with a holistic approach around the same goal stands out as a more effective situation."
''CHILDREN SHOULD BE RECRUITED STARTING FROM VILLAGES''
Ender Bilar, author of the Kırkpınar Encyclopedia, researcher, and President of the Edirne City Culture and Awareness Development Center Association, also emphasized that being represented by a small number of wrestlers among nearly 800 wrestlers is insufficient, considering both the hosting and the importance Edirne has historically placed on wrestling.
Bilar expressed that Edirne has evolved from a city with wrestling lodges to a city where a model for training wrestlers has not been established, stating, "The wrestling training center in Edirne needs to be transformed into a school. It is essential to increase the number of minority groups that support wrestling and to establish a model for training wrestlers. Young people and children who love wrestling should be recruited starting from villages and should be accepted as boarders in the wrestling school to be established."
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