By EMRAH GUREL and ANDREW WILKS Associated Press Jul 17, 2021
2 hrs ago
After a year-long, pandemic-induced hiatus, the sounds of the zurna flute and beating drums again greeted thousands of Turkish wrestling fans who returned to the countryâs northwest for a 600-year-old oil wrestling championship.
Last yearâs contest was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. But spectators headed in droves to Edirne province on the Greek border over the weekend to watch a sport that dates to the 14th century.
Over three days, competitors clad in leather trousers known as ââkispetâ and liberally doused in olive oil struggled to earn the title of Baspehlivani, or chief wrestler, the sportâs equivalent of world champion.