The Turkish Traditional Wrestling Federation has declared the demand for all senior wrestlers to participate in the Historical Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling Festival without preliminary rounds as unacceptable.
In their statement, the federation recalled the establishment of the league system's foundation during the 2022 Oil Wrestling Workshop, aiming for a more sustainable, effective, dignified and high-quality organization of the Kırkpınar festival.
It was further emphasized that consensus had been reached in subsequent workshops regarding the participation criteria for Kırkpınar, with a definitive agreement that the top 32 wrestlers in the CW Energy Türkiye Oil Wrestling League season-ending rankings would qualify directly, while the remaining eight would undergo preliminary rounds, as stipulated in the Federation's Oil Wrestling Competition Regulations announced on April 26, 2024.
The federation underscored that the request for preliminary rounds to be held during the Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling Festival week had been deemed appropriate following evaluations.
In recent days, it was noted that some senior wrestlers' requests to participate directly in Kırkpınar were not deemed suitable, as stated in the following announcement:
"Following all these mutual negotiations and goodwill processes, it has been deemed unacceptable by our Federation to fulfill the demands of our senior wrestlers regarding the absence of preliminary matches before the Historical Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling Festival and the participation of all wrestlers directly, in accordance with the previous tradition. This impossibility has been clearly communicated to our senior wrestlers.
It is also announced to the public that senior wrestlers who have posted 'protest' content on social media platforms regarding their direct participation in the Historical Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling Festival and attempts to disrupt the historical integrity of the event will be referred to the disciplinary board under Article 25, Paragraph 1 (e) of the Oil Wrestling Competition Regulations and Article 26, Paragraph 9 of the Oil Wrestling Competition Regulations, as well as Article 9, Paragraph 3 of the Disciplinary Regulations."
Several senior wrestlers had previously announced their refusal to participate in the preliminary matches scheduled for the Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling Festival due to the implementation of the league-style qualification system this year.
They expressed their protest against the new format that has never been applied in the history of oil wrestling.
These senior wrestlers stated that they would not participate in the preliminary matches, emphasizing, "Despite informing the Federation of the unfairness of wrestling with the top eight of the league after three rounds to stay in Edirne, this mistake has not been rectified to date. As senior wrestlers, we declare that we will not participate in the preliminary matches scheduled for Thursday, July 4, and we want to tie up at Sarayiçi on Saturday, July 6, without discrimination."
The senior wrestlers also mentioned their legal objections to the decision.
Due to the implementation of the league-style qualification system at Kırkpınar this year, 28 senior wrestlers will compete in the Sarayiçi Er Meydanı before the regular wrestling calendar.
Last year, the Turkish Traditional Wrestling Federation introduced a league system consisting of seven stages at Kırkpınar.
Senior wrestlers ranking in the top 32 of the league points table will secure direct qualification for Kırkpınar, with an additional eight wrestlers in the same weight class determined through preliminary rounds.
28 senior wrestlers will compete at Sarayiçi Er Meydanı in anticipation of the 663rd Historical Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling Festival on July 4, adhering to the competition's pairing regulations.
Two days before the start of the senior wrestling matches on Saturday, July 6, the senior wrestlers will have their first date at Kırkpınar this year.
According to the federation's competition pairing rules, the top eight wrestlers from the top 32 will be grouped into the first, second, third, and fourth tiers respectively.
Winners of this round will also form the fourth purse in the second round.
Draws will be made between the first and fourth purses and between the second and third purses.
In the subsequent round, the senior wrestlers who advance will be placed in the first purse among those with higher rankings in the league and in the second purse among the other eight wrestlers.
Mixed draws will be applied in the quarter-finals and following rounds.
