Line-up baspehlivans during the Amsterdam Kirkpinar 1999

The Amsterdam Kirkpinar is the most important oilwrestling contest outside Turkey and the main event in this sport in Europe. It is an open contest and the official European Championship Oilwrestling. The 1999 Amsterdam Kirkpinar was held on Sunday September 19, 1999 at Sportpark Spieringhorn Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Kenan Simsek (left) dethroned 2 times world champion Gengiz Elbeye (right) during the Amsterdam Kirkpinar of 1999,

The Amsterdam Kirkpinar showed some great matches. In the Küçük Boy group is was Hüseyin Saban who became European Champion after beating Ulgar Ahmet. In the Büyük Boy group. It was a great final fight between Emir Barhan and Kadir Yilmaz. Latter was winning, with Adem Polat on a 3rd place in this class. In the Küçük Orta it was Ömer Akar who became Euro-Champ after beating Kadir Gök.

Büyük Orta and more...
The büyük orta had great participants. Just in time from Turkey came . Davut Ertemiz and Mustafa Kemal Karabaga. What was expected to be the final was the first round, and Karabaga could continue. In the final he met the stronger one in Tahir.
In the Basalti is was Yasar Kale who beat Levent Gürbüz. But this third Amsterdam KIRKPINAR was sensational and made history because the great Gengiz Elbeye was dethroned by former Olympic 2nd place winner Kenan Simsek during the semi-final.

The greatest wrestlers from Turkey, like Zekai Albay (left on the picture).

Despite all prognoses, the final between Simsek and Bülent Gükbüz (in Amsterdam with his younger brother Levent, second in the basalti class). The final lasted almost into the night. And all the real fans stayed, even when a little rain felt at the end of this warm and sunny day.

Dutch World Television (Nederland Wereldomroep) made a special report about this sport, to be broadcast everywhere in the world, except in Holland.

This due to the strange Dutch broadcast-laws who prohibit the Dutch wereldomroep to do so. From all over Europe, including Turkey, wrestlers came to Amsterdam.

The new agha of the European Championship in the year 2000 is Zeki BALCI, director of Bumin Textile.

He was the highest bidder, and offered 70.000 Dutch guilders for the title. Or better to say, the traditional sheep. Which was actually leased from a nearby childrenfarm, kinderboerderij Westerpark.

RESULTS 1999 AMSTERDAM KIRKPINAR

Head/Baspehlivan
1 Kenan Simsek
2 Bülent Gürbüz
3 Cengiz Elbeye

Basalti
1 Yasar Kale
2 Levent Gürbüz
3 Ziya Kaya

Büyük Orta
1 Tahir Boruch
2 Mustafa Kemal Karabaga
3 Hikmet Yilmaz

Küçük Orta
1 Ömer Akar
2 Kadir Gök
3 Adem Karaman

Büyük Boy
1 Kadir Yilmaz
2 Emir Barhan
3 Adem Polat

Küçük Boy
1 Hüseyin Saban
2 Ulgar Ahmet
3 Sezgin Recep

Contacts the Amsterdam Kirkpinar by email:
kirkpinar@hotmail.com or
Türkevi
Groen van Prinstererstr. 45
1051 EJ.
Phone (The Netherlands +31) (Amsterdam 020) 684 57 12
• Homesite
• E-mail

You might find a Türkçe Sözlük / Turkish Dictionary to read some pages.