Today is the first day of the Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling Tournament. It is held annually, usually in late June, near Edirne, Turkey since 1360. In the finals held on the last day, the first, second and third winners of each category are determined. The Guinness Book of World Records accepts this as the world’s oldest continually sanctioned sporting competition.
The contestants wear only leather knee-length shorts called kıspets. Before each bout, the wrestlers pour olive oil over their entire bodies. Oil wrestling is a sport at the forefront of traditional Turkish sports. Wrestling was held in all of the fairs organized all over the Ottoman Empire, but the wrestler who won the “chief” title only in Kırkpınar was known as the “chief wrestler” until the next year’s Kırkpınar wrestling. This idea continues to this day.
Ancient Greek Meme…
Headline Writer’s Dream…
it’s the last day of Pride Month. Persist.
Today is the birthday, in 1943, of American vocalist Florence Ballard, The Supremes (1964 US & UK No.1 single ‘Baby Love’ plus 11 other US No.1 singles). Ballard sang on 16 top forty singles with the group, including ten No.1 hits. She died February 21st 1976. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_y6nFjoVp4
Comments