Where brute strength meets grace, and tradition is soaked in olive oil, the heartbeat of Turkish wrestling returns to Edirne’s historic Sarayiçi field for the 664th time.

From July 4 to 6, the Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling Festival, a centuries-old celebration of valor, discipline, and national identity, will once again unfold beneath the summer sun.

With 826 wrestlers, including 40 top-tier başpehlivans, vying for glory, the event is more than a sporting spectacle – it’s a living legend.

Down the history lane

The origins of Kırkpınar trace back to the tale of Ali and Selim, two Ottoman scouts who wrestled each other to death on the road to Rumelia’s conquest.

Their match ended without a winner, but the memory of their fight sparked a tradition that has rumbled through the ages.

What began as an act of tribute has endured for over six centuries, carrying its rituals and codes intact into modern-day Türkiye.

Wrestlers enter the arena in kispet, hand-stitched leather trousers made from water buffalo or calfskin, greased with olive oil to ensure a slippery contest of grip and grit.

Before combat begins, wrestlers perform the peşrev – a ceremonial warm-up dance, part exercise, part prayer, that stirs the crowd and centers the soul.

With every step, they honor not only the opponent before them but the generations who came before.

The goal is simple, yet brutal: pin your opponent’s back to the earth.

Victory can also come by lifting the rival off the ground and carrying him three steps, or tearing the kispet completely.

Techniques bear poetic names like kaz kanadı (goose wing), kolbastı (arm tie), and kurt kapanı (wolf trap), passed down through time like heirlooms.

Ethics and respect

Kırkpınar is ruled not just by strength but by ethics and respect.

Any form of insult toward referees, opponents, or the audience is met with immediate penalties. Match-fixing, stalling, or violating conduct rules taints the wrestler’s standing – at Kırkpınar, honor counts just as much as power.

Though the administrative role of the ağa – once the patron who hosted the event and rewarded champions – is now largely symbolic, his presence remains essential.

Today, much of his duties are carried out by the Edirne Municipality and the Turkish Wrestling Federation.

The coveted title of Başpehlivan of Türkiye awaits the champion of the top category.

If a wrestler clinches this title three years in a row, he earns permanent possession of the golden belt, the sport’s highest honor.

Around the ring, cazgırs chant poetic introductions, invoking hometowns and legacies as they summon wrestlers to the mat with ritualistic flair.

Their rhymes are backed by the davul and zurna, traditional drum and reed instruments that pace the rhythm of the match and echo the pulse of the crowd.

Invitations to Kırkpınar are still symbolically delivered via the red-bottomed candle, a relic from times when summoning a wrestler was as sacred as the match itself.

With each hold, chant, and drop of sweat, Kırkpınar continues to embody the spirit of Turkish wrestling – fierce but fair, ancient yet alive.

The Daily Sabah Newsletter

Keep up to date with what’s happening in Turkey,
it’s region and the world.

SIGN ME UP

You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

European giants Real Madrid and Juventus collide Tuesday at Hard Rock Stadium in a high-stakes last-16 showdown of the FIFA Club World Cup.

Their paths cross again seven years after a fiery Champions League quarterfinal, where the Old Lady stunned Los Blancos with a 3-1 win at the Bernabeu but bowed out on a 4-3 aggregate after a controversial late penalty by Cristiano Ronaldo.

This time, the setting is different, but the intensity is expected to burn just as fiercely.

The Spanish giants arrive in Miami riding the highs and lows of transition.

Under new head coach Xabi Alonso, who took the reins in the summer of 2024, Los Blancos topped Group H with seven points.

They began their campaign sluggishly with a 1-1 draw against Saudi side Al-Hilal, but quickly found rhythm with back-to-back wins over Pachuca and Red Bull Salzburg.

Their 3-0 dismantling of Salzburg, featuring goals from Vinicius Junior, Federico Valverde and teenage prodigy Gonzalo Garcia, was a reminder of their pedigree.

Alonso is steering Madrid into a new era after an inconsistent domestic season that ended in a second-place La Liga finish and a Champions League semifinal exit.

Big-name arrivals like Trent Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool and Dean Huijsen – poached from Juventus – reflect Madrid’s rebuilding ambitions, though injuries have complicated the process.

Key players Dani Carvajal, Eduardo Camavinga, David Alaba, Endrick, and Ferland Mendy remain sidelined, while Eder Militao is doubtful.

The return of Antonio Rudiger from cramp and the recovery of Kylian Mbappe, who could feature off the bench after an illness, offers some relief for Alonso’s thin squad.

La Vecchia Signora, meanwhile, have looked lethal going forward but vulnerable at the back.

Under Igor Tudor, appointed in March 2024, the Bianconeri lit up Group G with a 5-0 rout of Al Ain and a 4-1 win over Wydad AC before being brought down to earth in a 5-2 loss to Manchester City.

Tudor’s aggressive 4-3-3 formation has sparked fresh attacking energy, led by the emerging Turkish talent Kenan Yıldız, Portuguese winger Francisco Conceicao, and striker Randal Kolo Muani.

But their defensive lapses against City showed this team is still a work in progress.

Juventus, who haven’t lifted the Serie A trophy since 2020, ended last season in fourth.

Tudor’s side may lack the depth and experience of Madrid, but they carry a sense of urgency and belief that could prove dangerous.

Their young stars bring pace and unpredictability, and midfield reinforcements like Khephren Thuram could be pivotal in controlling the tempo against Madrid’s seasoned core.

Tactically, Alonso’s Real Madrid is built around a flexible 3-5-2 system.

With Aurelien Tchouameni dropping into the backline, Madrid can dominate the midfield through Luka Modric and Valverde while wing-backs Lucas Vazquez and Fran Garcia stretch the pitch.

Vinicius and Garcia up front offer sharp movement and blistering pace, with Jude Bellingham supporting from deep.

Juventus counter with a 4-3-3 that compresses into a 4-5-1 when defending.

Locatelli holds the center while Thuram and Nicolo Fagioli work the channels. Yildiz and Conceicao aim to exploit space on the flanks and feed Kolo Muani in transition.

If Madrid’s makeshift backline cracks under pressure, it’s these three who’ll be the ones to capitalize.

This will be the 22nd competitive meeting between Madrid and Juventus, with the Spanish giants holding a narrow edge: 10 wins to Juve’s nine, along with two draws.

Their shared history is filled with drama, triumph, heartbreak and controversy. Tuesday’s clash promises to add another fiery chapter to that storied rivalry.

A spot in the Club World Cup quarterfinals awaits the winner, where either Borussia Dortmund or Monterrey lie in wait.

The Daily Sabah Newsletter

Keep up to date with what’s happening in Turkey,
it’s region and the world.

SIGN ME UP

You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Emma Raducanu strides onto the grasscourts of Wimbledon on Monday as the British No. 1, a world away from the wide-eyed teenager who burst onto the scene at the All England Club four years ago.

“It does feel like a long time ago. A lot has happened in the last four years,” Raducanu told reporters, reflecting on her meteoric rise from obscurity to the fourth round in 2021, a run that preceded her astonishing U.S. Open triumph later that year.

Raducanu faces 17-year-old British wildcard Mingge Xu, who will be making her own Grand Slam debut this year.

“It’s good to see a new generation, it keeps us on our toes. It keeps us hungry to improve. It’s just healthy competition between all of us,” Raducanu added.

The intervening years have been more of a cautionary tale, as injuries and the constant changing of coaches prevented the 22-year-old from building on that early success.

A recent back injury also forced her to withdraw from the Berlin Open and Raducanu arrives at Wimbledon with a question mark over her physical condition, saying her back is not yet at 100%.

Once the darling of British expectations, Raducanu now seeks to manage them carefully, speaking with the hard-earned wisdom of someone who has experienced both the summit and the struggle of professional tennis.

“Truthfully, I don’t expect much from myself this year,” she said. “I know I’ve just been dealing with certain things. I just want to go out there and embrace the moment, embrace the occasion.”

While most top seeds fine-tuned their game on Wimbledon’s pristine practice courts this week, Taylor Fritz was busy collecting silverware on England’s south coast, a strategy the American hopes could finally unlock his Grand Slam potential.

The ninth seed arrives at the All England Club as the in-form player on grass having claimed two titles, beating Alexander Zverev on his home turf to lift the Stuttgart Open before he defended his Eastbourne Open title on Saturday.

“One more title and I might have to buy a house here,” quipped Fritz after clinching his fourth Eastbourne crown in six editions on Saturday.

Fritz’s unconventional preparation, playing competitively right up to the start of Wimbledon while rivals opt for closed practice sessions, represents a calculated gamble for a player whose Grand Slam performances have failed to match his seeding.

Despite enjoying fourth-seed status at both the Australian Open and the French Open this year, the 27-year-old American failed to reach the second week at both majors.

But where some players might see risks related to fatigue with such a tight turnaround, Fritz sees a competitive advantage.

“It is what it is, having to play at Wimbledon on Monday,” Fritz said.

“I’d rather go into a tournament with a lot of confidence than being there for the whole week just practising.”

The Daily Sabah Newsletter

Keep up to date with what’s happening in Turkey,
it’s region and the world.

SIGN ME UP

You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Chelsea outlasted Benfica in a nearly five-hour marathon at the Club World Cup on Saturday, securing a spot in the quarterfinals against Brazil’s Palmeiras in the U.S.-hosted tournament.

The London club were grateful to extra time goals by Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to give them a 4-1 victory over Benfica.

Their late burst of scoring settled a last-16 tie which took 4 hours, 39 minutes to complete at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium in North Carolina after a near two-hour weather delay.

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca was left satisfied with his team’s victory but slammed the delay that turned the tie into a near five-hour marathon.

“I think it’s a joke, it’s not football,” Maresca said.

“For 85 minutes, we were in control of the game. We created enough chances to win the game. Then after the break, the game changed – for me personally, it’s not football.”

Earlier, Chelsea had been seemingly poised for victory after Reece James’ opportunistic second-half free kick had left them 1-0 up with four minutes of regulation time remaining.

But just as Chelsea began to think about their quarter-final assignment, the arrival of a storm over Charlotte triggered local safety protocols, which required the game to be halted.

It marked the sixth occasion during the Club World Cup that a game has been disrupted by a weather warning.

When play resumed just under two hours later, a revitalized Benfica grabbed an injury-time equalizer after Chelsea substitute Malo Gusto was adjudged to have handled in the penalty area following an intervention by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).

Benfica’s Argentine veteran Angel Di Maria stepped up to roll in an ice-cold penalty, sending the game into extra time.

An end-to-end first half of extra time saw Benfica, reduced to 10 men following Gianluca Prestianni’s second yellow card at the end of regulation, threaten to take the lead as they chased an improbable victory.

But instead, it was Nkunku who fired Chelsea back in front, the French international bundling in from close range after Moises Caicedo’s low shot squirted underneath Benfica goalkeeper Antoliy Trubin.

As the game opened up, Benfica were increasingly vulnerable on the counterattack and Chelsea pounced.

Neto made it 3-1 with a nerveless finish after going clean through on goal in the 114th minute and three minutes later Dewsbury-Hall completed the rout to send Chelsea through to the last eight.

They will now return to Philadelphia, where they played two games in the group stage, to play Palmeiras in the quarterfinals on Friday.

Paulinho settles Brazilian derby

The Brazilian club were grateful to an extra-time winner by substitute Paulinho as they edged domestic rivals Botafogo 1-0 in a battle of attrition earlier Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

The winger came on at the same time in the second half as Palmeiras coach Abel Ferreira withdrew teenage sensation Estevao Willian, a move that appeared baffling at the moment but ultimately proved inspired.

The tie had reached the 100th minute without a goal when Paulinho collected a pass by Richard Rios on the right flank and was afforded the time and space to come inside into the box before slotting a low shot into the far corner.

That sparked wild celebrations among the Palmeiras fans who made up the vast majority of the 33,657 crowd and the side from Sao Paulo held on to win the tie despite having captain Gustavo Gomez sent off late on.

“That is why he came, so he could play for long enough to decide a game. He is going to have to stop again after the tournament,” Ferreira said of Paulinho, who has struggled with injury since signing for Palmeiras at the start of the year.

Winners of the Copa Libertadores in 2020 and 2021, Palmeiras will now hope to match the feat of their Brazilian rivals Flamengo, who defeated Chelsea during the group stage.

The last-16 action continues Sunday when European champions Paris Saint-Germain take on Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami in Atlanta. Later on, Bayern Munich face Flamengo in Miami.

The Daily Sabah Newsletter

Keep up to date with what’s happening in Turkey,
it’s region and the world.

SIGN ME UP

You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Marc Marquez widened his lead in the world championship by winning the Dutch MotoGP on Sunday, as his closest rival and younger brother, Alex Marquez, fractured his left hand during the race.

Marc Marquez came home on his Ducati ahead of Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia) with the winner’s teammate Francesco Bagnaia third.

His victory at the circuit known as the “Cathedral of Speed,” celebrating its 100th anniversary, brought him level with legend Giacomo Agostini on 68 elite wins, still 21 adrift of Valentino Rossi.

Marquez leads Alex by 68 points with Bagnaia 126 adrift after 10 of the 22-race season.

Bagnaia got a superb start, shooting straight past pole sitter Fabio Quartararo, the Frenchman’s hopes of delivering Yamaha a victory on their 70th anniversary receding rapidly as he dropped down the field.

At least he remained in the race, Japan’s Ai Ogura’s participation ended on the first lap as he was taken out by Miguel Oliveira.

Marc Marquez moved into second on the second lap with British MotoGP winner Bezzecchi gliding into third.

Marquez passed his teammate on the fifth lap, but a lap later, his sibling Alex Marquez caught a cropper, tussling with Pedro Acosta, he came to grief.

Alex Marquez jumped back to his feet but was gingerly holding his wrist as he was biked back to the pit lane and was taken to the medical center for a check-up.

An attritional race claimed two more riders as Joan Mir and Fermin Aldeguer suffered heavy crashes – both consoling each other.

Bagnaia’s hopes of a fourth successive Assen win – Australian icon Mick Doohan won five in a row 1994-98 – was over by the 11th lap, as he dropped to fourth, passed by Bezzecchi and Acosta.

Bezzecchi then turned his attention on Marquez’s Ducati, ramping up the pressure on the leader.

Marquez, though, responded like the champion he is in setting the fastest race lap at the halfway mark of the 26-lap race.

Bagnaia regained a place on the podium, passing Acosta, who eventually dropped off the pace, settling for fourth spot.

With three laps remaining, Marquez held a lead of over a second on Bezzecchi and although the valiant Italian ate into it, the Spaniard had more than enough to spare to take the honors.

Bezzecchi’s delight was slightly tempered with a most unseemly fall on the lap of honor but his smile had returned by the time he greeted his Aprilia mechanics.

The whole circus has a weekend off before they reunite for the German MotoGP in a fortnight.

By the time they return to Assen next year, there could well be a new kid on the block after a historic win in the Moto2 race.

Diogo Moreira, 21, became the first Brazilian to take the chequered flag in that category – and could well follow now retired five-time Grand Prix winner Alex Barros into the elite series.

“I am super happy, the race was amazing, finally first victory,” he said, holding up the national flag.

The Daily Sabah Newsletter

Keep up to date with what’s happening in Turkey,
it’s region and the world.

SIGN ME UP

You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

No retrospective action will be taken after the controversial Olympic boxing tournament held last summer in Paris but ensuring fairness for female athletes going forward has the “overwhelming support” of International Olympic Committee (IOC) members, President Kirsty Coventry said.

The tournament drew criticism after Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting won gold medals despite being disqualified from the previous year’s World Championships over alleged gender eligibility violations.

World Boxing – now officially recognized by the IOC as the sport’s international governing body – has since introduced mandatory sex testing.

It said Khelif will not be eligible to compete in the women’s category unless she complies. Khelif has maintained that she was born female, has always lived as a woman and has competed as one throughout her career.

The IOC faced criticism for its handling of the controversy in Paris and for a perceived failure to lead on the issue more broadly.

Now Coventry, in one of her first acts as president, said there was unanimous backing from IOC members to establish a broad consensus and announced a working group would be formed to focus on protecting female sport.

She insisted, however, that nothing the group develops would affect events in Paris.

“It was very, very clear from the members that we have to protect the female category. First and foremost, we have to do that to ensure fairness,” Coventry said at a briefing Thursday.

“There was overwhelming support from all of the members … that we should protect the female category.

“It was agreed by the members that the IOC should take a leading role in this, and that we should be the ones to bring together the experts, bring together the international federations and ensure that we find consensus.

“We understand that there will be differences depending on the sports, but it was fully agreed that as members and as the IOC, we should make the effort to place emphasis on the protection of the female category.

“We’re not going to be doing anything retrospectively. We’re going to be looking forward. From the members that were here, the sentiment was, ‘What are we learning from the past, and how are we going to leverage that and move that forward to the future?’”

Many sports, including athletics, cycling and swimming, have tightened their rules at the global level to bar competitors who have undergone any stage of male puberty from the female category.

In March, World Athletics approved swab tests to determine biological sex and eligibility for its elite female category.

Coventry added that World Athletics would be one of the global federations with “a seat at the table” in the discussions.

“Every sport is slightly different, but it was pretty much unanimously felt that the IOC should take a leading role in bringing everyone together to try and find a broad consensus, so that really is what will be guiding the working group,” she added.

Coventry, who officially became IOC president on Monday, said the working group’s membership and terms of reference would be decided in the coming weeks but said it was too soon to set timelines for when any recommendations might be brought forward.

U.S. President Donald Trump said earlier this year he would deny visas to transgender athletes seeking to compete in female categories at the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028.

A U.K. Supreme Court ruling earlier this year, which clarified wording in the 2010 Equality Act, has led several sports governing bodies to amend their transgender inclusion policies, including the Football Association and the England and Wales Cricket Board.

Coventry said members had also called for a review of when and how future Olympic Games hosting decisions are made, noting a desire for greater IOC involvement in the process.

She said the review would not affect ongoing discussions with countries interested in hosting future events.

The Daily Sabah Newsletter

Keep up to date with what’s happening in Turkey,
it’s region and the world.

SIGN ME UP

You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.