considered to be the European Champions, this means the Amsterdam Kırkpınar tops Edirne's, as the latter is seen as the National championship of Turkey only, repudiating non-Turkish entries. The event attracted little attention outside of Turkey until the 1990s, when the style of wrestling began to spread to Western Europe. It has become particularly popular in the Netherlands, which now hosts its own annual version of the tournament, attracting participants from throughout Europe. Yağlı güreş wrestling matches are also held in Japan. Most wins Hüseyin Pehlivan won the event 7 consecutive years, starting 1935. Ahmet Taşçı won the event 9 times in 11 years. The 2021 event was won by Ali Gürbüz, his 4th victory. See also Wrestling in Turkey References External links Kırkpınar Key terms Award-winning Kırkpınar photo-story by documentary photographer Michael Craig Amsterdam Kırkpınar Turkish Wrestling bashpelivanns.com Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity Recurring events established in 1346 Sport in Edirne Sports competitions in Turkey Turkish traditional sports