Over the weekend, a traditional oil wrestling competition was held in the Greek Village of Sochos, Thessaloniki.
This deadly serious sport sees a group of oily, leather-clad men grease themselves up before attempting to get each-other into a hold from which they cannot escape (the easiest way to do this is by putting their hand down their opponents trousers), and if they do so, they win the round.
The trousers themselves are called ‘kispet' and were traditionally made from buffalo leather, but are now more commonly made from calfskin.
Wrestlers compete in 30 minute rounds, with 10 minutes of extra time added if there is no winner by the end of the round. If a winner still hasn’t emerged with the extra time, the fight is decided on scorecards. During the round, a particular melody is played by popular instrumentalists, which at times increases depending on the intensity of wrestling movements.
Whoever wins the most fights is crowned ‘bas pehlivan’, which translates to chief wrestler.
This is one of the oldest sports in the world, which dates back to the ancient city of Babylon, and still to this day, the competition takes place in northern parts of Greece and Turkey.