Oil wrestling in Holland, with great qualifications during the second Amsterdam KIRKPINAR in September 1998 for Ruud Brokmann (16 years/60kg), Koen Kreulen (17 years/67kg), Erik Honthorst (25 years/90kg) and Jeffrey Pedro (18 years/100kg). Great second placing for Melvin Witteveen (25years/76kg) in the ´küçük orta´ class proves that oil wrestlers from Holland reached a high level. The Iranians Amir Sedaghet (23years/120kg) and Yousef Nasiri (26 years/65 kg) held high the honor of their country by ending as class-winners during the European Championship. The Moroccan wrestler Mustapha Azoufri (23 years/82kg) didn´t catch up this year. Discovery of the tournament was Kadir Yilmaz (17 years/73kg), a bright natural we should hear from. Talented participants were Selim Barhan (25 years/80kg), Durmus Dogan (32 years/82kg), Bülent Ünükür (21 years/80kg), Karsten Biller (23 years/79kg), Cüneyt Ünükür (18 years/70kg), Adem Polat (20 years/84kg), Mehmet Çamlidere (21 years/65kg), Mehmet Akgül (24 years/80kg), Alper Özçelik (18 years/70kg), Ali Küçük (35 years/90kg), Murat Ersoy (18 years/85kg).

Great admiration was there for the senior-oilwrestler Osman Recepoglu (44 years/135kg). At the end they all were beaten by great names as Cengiz Elbeye (baspehlivan, current European and World champion), Hasan Gündogdu (baspehlivan), Nizamettin Akbas (baspeklivan), Servet Yildiz (baspehlivan) and Cevat Gündogdu (basalti).

Despite the heaviest rain since 30 years it didn´t spoil the pleasure of the 5.234 paying visitors.

A ´nationalistic sport´ said Zeki Arslan of the neo Stalinist FORUM Utrecht. But how is that possible when from the four participants in one category, you can count three different nationalities. Like the picture here proves, there were quite a number of Dutch participants. Poor Zeki Arslan wasn´t present at all, but just miming for an infame Dutch journalist, as you can read (in Dutch) in the bestseller Hoe gevaarlijk zijn the Turken? (How dangerous are the Turks?).

Despite the heavy rain, the audience stayed to watch those great hunks wrestling in the mud.

Two sheep's had been ´leased from the children-farm Westerpark. They played their role during the traditional auction to become the ´agha´ of the next KIRKPINAR.

Great second placing for Dutch Melvin Witteveen (25years/76kg) in the ´küçük orta´ class.

On this picture Melvin is the second from the right.

Kadir Yilmaz (17 years/73kg) after his first oilwrestlingmatch. But the fire was burning: "This is great! Be sure that I´ll come back next year!"

The Greatest of all after Edirne is the Amsterdam Kirkpinar with a record number of participants!

So you´ll better be there, or be square...,

From Leiden, Holland, came oilwrestling veteran OsmanRecepoglu (44 years/135kg), here under with his belly in the mud. Osman is an icon in the American ´chubby-scene´.

All pictures © 1998 by Mohamed el-Fers/MokumTV Amsterdam yagli güres, oil wrestling, oilwrestling, oiled wrestling, wrestle, oil struggle, lutte óleo, fósforo esforço oleado, luttant huilée, lutte huile, allumette de lutte huilée, das Ölringen, geöltes ringen, ölringen, Öl Kampf, oelringen.

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