sports". The late Hüseyin Sahin said during his speech, attended by Turkish president Süleyman Demirel, Edirne-mayor Hamdi Sedefçi, Veyis Güngör and Mohamed el-Fers that the Kırkpınar will exceed the borders of Turkey and unite the world. The champion wrestlers, who attended that 636th Edirne Kırkpınar applauded the news of an Amsterdam Kırkpınar. In his speech at the award ceremony, President Süleyman Demirel said that Turkey would continue to raise world-famous wrestlers. Veyis Güngör told the press that the enthusiastic reactions in Europe proved that this traditional Turkish sport is not only everlasting, but thanks to television and video, is gaining popularity among non-Turkish people as well. In the days after the news was released, organisers received about 950 letters from oil-wrestlers throughout Turkey, who would enter competition for the title of Euro-champion of the Amsterdam Kırkpınar. In 1997, the "Mother of All Sports" débuted in Western Europe, when the European Champions League was held in Amsterdam. No less than 22 television teams covered the event, and scenes from the Amsterdam Kırkpınar were shown on CNN and the BBC alike. The 2nd European Oil-Wrestling Championship held in Amsterdam already had a final with 42 wrestlers from Turkey, the Netherlands and other European countries. The winner was Cengiz Elbeye, Edirne Kırkpınar oil-wrestling champion. During the opening ceremony, Erkut Onart, the Turkish Consul General in the Netherlands, said that he believed the friendship between Turkish society and the European countries is intensified when these kinds of cultural values are brought to Europe. In the world of oil-wrestling, Amsterdam became the most important annual event, after Edirne. Special branch Oil-wrestling was accepted as special branch by the Turkish Olympic Wrestling Federation. Sport and politics, as in 1996 the Turkish Federation of Traditional Sport Branches (Geleneksel Spor Dallari Federasyonu) was officially accepted as the federation representing oil-wrestling and other traditional Turkish sports. Anti-doping control In 1999, anti-doping checks were introduced by the Turkish Olympic Wrestling Federation during the Edirne Kırkpınar. Foreign oil-wrestler rejected in Edirne Oil-wrestling is a growing sport, not limited to Turkey. However, it is difficult for foreign wrestlers to enter this National Turkish Championship. In 2000, Dutch oil-wrestler Melvin Witteveen's entry in Edirne was rejected, while Kadir Yilmaz, beaten by Witteveen some weeks earlier at the Amsterdam Kırkpınar, was allowed to participate due to his double Turko-Dutch nationalities. As the winners of the categories of the Amsterdam Kırkpınar in the Netherlands are