Turkiye Hosts Karakucak World Championships in Ankara

ANKARA, Turkiye (August 21) -- Turkiye won the team title at the Karakucak World Championships in Ankara after taking five gold medals at the second edition of the competition.

The hosts finished with 200 points, ahead of Iran on 165 and Azerbaijan on 107. The championships were held on August 15 and 16 under the umbrella of United World Wrestling, with 31 countries taking part.

Saban KIZILTAS won Turkiye's first gold at 60kg, defeating Iran's Sajad SALEHPOUR in the final. Hamza ZOPALI followed at 65kg with victory over Azerbaijan's Agha GASIMOV, while Ferhat KILIC beat Eduard LENARD (ROU) 3-0 to win the 70kg title.

Fazli ERYILMAZ (TUR) defeated Omar GULMAMMADOV (AZE) in the 75kg final. Feyzullah AKTURK (TUR) completed Turkiye's gold-medal haul in the +90kg category, beating Altangerel CHINBAT (MGL), 3-1.

Karakucak is a traditional form of Turkish wrestling that is contested outdoors on an open wrestling ground, known as an er meydani. Unlike oil wrestling, wrestlers compete in a traditional garment called a pirpit. The discipline has long been practised and is organised domestically by the Turkish Traditional Wrestling Federation. UWW added Karakucak to its international calendar, with the first World Championships held in Kahramanmaras, Turkiye, in October 2025.

The inaugural World Championships in 2025 attracted athletes from more than a dozen countries, with Turkiye winning the team competition and Akturk becoming the first Karakucak world champion in the +90kg category. The 2026 event in Ankara was the second edition of the championships.

The 2026 championships were organised by the Turkish Traditional Wrestling Federation with support from Turkiye's Ministry of Youth and Sports. The event also carried a $326,000 prize purse, distributed among the participating wrestlers, with Akturk receiving $100,000 for winning the +90kg title.

The championships were held in Ankara's Kecioren district, with the Kecioren mayor among the officials who graced the event.