While western wrestling conjures up images of balding overweight men with beer bellies pushing each other around a roped ring in ill fitting leotards, panto style, the Turkish Kirkpinar Olive Oil Wrestlers are considered kings among men. Like their Japanese counterparts – the Sumo Wrestlers, Turkish Kinpinar wrestlers are highly regarded as athletes at the top of their sport.

It seems that Turkish oil wrestling began in the first place as entertainment for Turkish soldiers during a battle in the Ottoman Turkish Empire 650 years ago. Edirne, where the Kirkpinar is still held to this day, is located at the side of a river which passes through deep woods. It’s a beautiful place where you can imagine tired soldiers felt able to relax from battles.

Every year a Kirkpinar Agasi is selected - a headman who is responsible for inviting the heroes to compete and the spectators to enjoy. Among other things the Kirkpinar Agasi is responsible for is organising the competition, greeting guests, feeding them and providing places to sleep. In recent years, the post of Kirkpinar Agasi has become an expensive burden and the bidding, held on the third and final day for the following year can be quite spirited. Three tons of olive oil is ordered for the event alone and that’s not a cheap salad dressing!

Turkey's oil wrestlers are generally described as burly men who cover themselves in olive oil and grapple with each other wearing leather trousers. They battle to pin each other to the ground in a triumphant grip. Experienced wrestlers will even go so far as putting a hand down the opponent's trousers to get a better grip and although born from ancient history, this mixture of Muslim machismo and bronzed brawn - a Turkish tradition and summertime spectacle - it hasn’t gone unnoticed by a particular audience.

Controversially, gay men make up a loyal fan base to the Kirkpinar with group trips being put together to visit Turkish landmarks and incorporate a visit to the event. To say that this hasn’t gone down well with the festival's competitors is an understatement. Big time. It’s hard to believe that oil wrestling has been such a well kept secret from the Turkish gay community
for all these years. We reckon gay Muslims have been regulars at oil wrestling shows from the beginning. You would think if you are comfortable rolling around half naked in oil with another man, you would think being watched by their homosexual fans would roll right off their backs, so to speak.

Inspite of a narrow-minded attitude to sexuality, Turkish Kirkpinar Olive Oil Wrestling is without doubt the greatest, most challenging and skilled wrestling competition on the planet. Many wrestlers who’ve won Championships in Olympic wrestling have not succeeded in oil wrestling. However, many great oil wrestlers have achieved world and Olympic champion status proving that the pinnacle in wrestling is has to be the Kirkpinar.

The fact that it retains a long tradition at the highest level, we figure it truly qualifies as a gritty sport and possibly the dirtiest in the issue.