Is this an actual sport? (nsfw, text only)

[dstarfire]

In an episode of QI (s14e11, ~12:03) Holly Walsh describes a sport she encountered on youtube like this (this is pasted directly from the subtitles, I just removed extra line breaks, line numbers, and timing info):

…this Turkish sport where they all get oiled up -
this is genuinely true, and they wear leather trousers
and they wrestle each other and the competition is
to get their hands down the front of the trousers,
like that’s how you win the points.
Well, it was being done in this big field
and there were loads of people watching and elderly gentlemen
that you wouldn’t imagine would be into that sort of thing
and they were… These younger men were doing it and they were…

Needless to say, the other panelists reacted with disbelief and much joking. “That’s not a sport”, “Is it possible the subtitles (on the youtube video showing this) were less than accurate?”, and “You were on youtube, watching Turkish dogging?!”

[Inner_Stickler]

Turkish Oil Wrestling - Youtube Link so is it worksafe? shrug I’ve certainly seen less porn-y wrestling.

Wiki sez:
"The wrestlers, known as pehlivan (meaning “hero” or “champion”), wear a type of hand-stitched leather trousers called a kisbet (sometimes kispet), which is traditionally made of water buffalo hide, and most recently has been made of calfskin.

Unlike Olympic wrestling, oil wrestling matches may be won by achieving an effective hold of the kisbet. Thus, the pehlivan aims to control his opponent by putting his arm through the latter’s kisbet. "

[gregorio]

Google turkish wrestling.
Or watch Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown.
Or watch James Bond.
Or watch Topkapi.

Why do I know so much about oil wrestling . . .
Aaaand ninjad. Oh well

[Beckdawrek]

@gregorio

Google turkish wrestling.
Or watch Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown.
Or watch James Bond.
Or watch Topkapi.

Why do I know so much about oil wrestling . . .
Aaaand ninjad. Oh well

I like to know the answer to that question.

[lisiate]

I watched some live at an Australian medieval fair a few years back. Way more authentic than the jousting and fencing displays. And the participants went at it with typical Aussie competitiveness.

[Snowboarder_Bo]

Wow.

The annual Kırkpınar tournament, held in Edirne in Turkish Thrace since 1346, is the oldest continuously running, sanctioned sporting competition in the world.

Ottoman chroniclers and writers [who?] attest that the Kırkpınar Games have been held every year since 1362, making them the world’s oldest continually sanctioned sporting competition.[dubious – discuss] The games have been cancelled only about 70 times. The original site was some 35 kilometres (22 mi) distant. In 1924, they were moved to the present location after the Balkan War.

(Please note that’s copied directly from the wiki page; the editorializing isn’t mine.)

So if accurate, that’s almost 700 years continuous all within 35 kilometers. And for almost the first 600 years, in the exact same spot.

I love facts like that, not least because they show the amazing longevity that human societies and customs can have. I find that kind of thing pleasantly mind-blowing.

[Max_Torque]

Yup. There used to be a show on Comedy Central called “Travel Sick”, where a fella would go to foreign countries and have to perform five “challenges”. When he went to Turkey, oil wrestling was one of his challenges. The slipperiness makes it impossible to do traditional grips and locks, so yeah, the easiest way to manipulate your opponent is to stick your hand down his tight leather pants. And hey, it’s on YouTube!