Ova oil wrestling festival moves toward international status
The third Ova Oil Wrestling Festival in Kırköy, İskeçe, brought together 38 wrestlers from Türkiye, North Macedonia, Bulgaria and different parts of Greece, further strengthening the event's emerging international character.
The festival was held on Monday, August 10, at the Kırköy football field in İskeçe's municipality of Inhanlı. It was organized by the İskeçe Ova Culture, Solidarity and Brotherhood Association together with the Kırköy Football Club.
Wrestlers from Türkiye, North Macedonia and Bulgaria competed alongside athletes from the Ova region of İskeçe and other parts of Greece, including Serres, Nigrita and Thessaloniki.
A total of 38 wrestlers competed across several categories throughout the day.
Serhat Balcı wins başpehlivan title
The festival began with traditional folk dance performances before moving into oil wrestling competitions across different categories.
The başpehlivan competition attracted particular attention from spectators, with six wrestlers from Türkiye taking part: Recep Kara, Abdullah Güngör, Salih Erinç, Serhat Balcı, Fatih Çakıroğlu and Cenk İldem.
Serhat Balcı won the başpehlivan title after the final, while Recep Kara finished second.
The event also featured representatives of the Western Thrace Turkish Minority's Advisory Board, İskeçe Mufti Mustafa Trampa, İskeçe MPs Burhan Baran and Hüseyin Zeybek, Deputy Consul Ali Tosun from the Consulate General of Türkiye in Gümülcine, representatives of minority institutions and organizations, Ipsala Mayor Mehmet Kerman, Ipsala District Governor Hayrettin Buğra Güzel and Kel Aliço Wrestling Chief Oğuz Erdinç.
Wrestlers from across the Balkans compete
The festival brought together wrestlers from several Balkan countries, helping preserve and promote the region's traditional oil wrestling culture.
The winners and runners-up in the other categories were:
Küçükler: Hamza Eşref (Domruköy, Gümülcine) and Recep Softa (Evrenköy, Gümülcine) shared first place.
Tozkoparan: Hristos Kalanidis (Serres) first, Yannis Goniadis (Serres) second.
Büyük orta: Muhammet Feruki (North Macedonia) first, Harun Nezir (Gümülcine) second.
Büyük orta: Mustafa Recep (Bulgaria) first, Cemal Hüseyin (Bulgaria) second.
Büyük orta: Tugay Salihoğlu (Kırköy) first, Orhan Orhanoğlu (Göynüklü) second.
Başaltı: Niyazi İbiş (Gümülcine) first, Hristos Samarcidis (Serres) second.
Baş: Serhat Balcı (Türkiye) first, Recep Kara (Türkiye) second.
Organizers target wider international participation
Organizers said the event has made significant progress in just three years, with participation from wrestlers across the Balkans giving the festival an increasingly international dimension.
They also said the strong support of local residents and wrestling enthusiasts has helped the event move steadily toward becoming an international sporting and cultural event.
Organizers thanked those who provided financial and organizational support, particularly the festival's sponsors, and said preparations would continue for next year's event with the goal of attracting more wrestlers and a larger audience.
The growing participation of wrestlers from across the Balkans highlights the potential of the Ova Oil Wrestling Festival to become a recurring regional event celebrating one of the area's longstanding traditional sports.
