Wrestling in Turkey


Wrestling is considered as an "ancestral sport" in Turkey, represented foremost by the annual Kırkpınar tournament in oil wrestling.
Along with various highly esteemed styles of folk wrestling, olympic wrestling is widely practiced, while Greco-Roman wrestling is less popular due to freestyle wrestling's technical affinity with folk wrestling.
Turkey currently has only one professional wrestling promotion, Turkish Power Wrestling founded in 2010.

Turkish folk wrestling styles

  1. Karakucak Güreşi
  2. Oil wrestling
  • Styles practised locally :
  1. Aba Güreşi
  2. Aşırtmalı Aba Güreşi
  3. Kısa Şalvar Güreşi
  4. Kuşak Güreşi or Tatar Güreşi
  5. Kar üstü Karakucak Güreşi
  6. Şalvar Güreşi
  7. Torun Abası
  8. Siyah Aba
  9. Boz Aba
  10. Kırmızı Aba
  11. Maraş Abası
  12. Urfa Abası
  13. Çuha Abası
  14. ''Hamis Abası''

Sport wrestling

FILA Wrestling World Championships were held in Turkey in
1957, 1974, 1994, 1999 and 2011.
The Turkish team won the Men's freestyle championship in 1951, 1954, 1957, 1966 and 1994; and the Men's Greco-Roman championship in 2006 and 2009.

Events