Kırkpınar

The traditional Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling competition, which is considered Turkey's longest-running sports event, will start this weekend for the 660th time in the northwestern province of Edirne after a year of hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 tests will be mandatory for wrestlers and officials at this year's Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling tournament, the Turkish Wrestling Federation announced on July 2. 

According to a statement, all participants will be required to submit a negative PCR test result done within the last 48 hours or they will not be able to enter the competition.

Bitter remarks hurled by a contestant in the famous Survivor Turkey TV show against Turkey's Kırkpınar head oil wrestler, calling him a "fool" and a "drag queen," fumigated the atmosphere with Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling festival's master asking the head wrestler to quit the show.

In a candid interview with a YouTuber, an Italian chef, also a jury member of a popular cooking TV game show, MasterChef Turkey, has revealed that he once participated in the Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling, a traditional 650-year-old wrestling festival conducted annually in the northwestern province of Edirne.

Hotelkeepers and shop owners in northwestern Turkey are having a field day as thousands of fans have flocked there to see the 658th Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling Festival.

As wrestlers battle for glory at the Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling Festival in northwestern Turkey, passionate fans of all ages are seizing the opportunity to pay tribute to the sport's legends.

Turkey's northwestern Edirne province has once again become the battleground of an ancient sports event where wrestlers compete to win a golden belt and honor a centuries-old tradition.

Orhan Okulu, celebrates after winning the 657th annual Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling Festival final against Şaban Yılmaz, on the ground right, in Edirne, northwestern Turkey, Sunday, July 15, 2018. Orhan won the final. Wrestlers take part in this "sudden death"-style traditional competition wearing only a pair of leather trousers and a good slick of olive oil. AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis

Turkey's longest-running traditional sports event, Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling competition, has started in the northwestern province of Edirne. The annual event, which is organized for the 657th time this year, attracts thousands of people. Click through for the story in photos...

Turkish wrestlers have clinched 18 medals in a wrestling tournament in Bulgaria, according to the Turkish Wrestling Federation.