The World Kurash Championship will begin in Ashgabat on 23 November and will last until 28 November. The history of this national type of belt wrestling, popular among Turkic peoples, is about three thousand years old.
International competitions of this kind were held annually from 1999 to 2002, and every two years since 2005. The 14th World Championship promises to be a record-breaking event in terms of the number of participants.
Local TV station Altyn Asyr reports that around 500 athletes and judges from more than 50 countries have arrived in the Turkmen capital.The prize fund includes 15 sets of medals in seven men's and eight women's weight categories.
Kurash is mentioned in the folk epics "Gerogly" and "Gorkut Ata". Men used to demonstrate their wrestling skills at weddings, festivals and fairs.
In 2003, kurash was officially included in all continental games held in Asia. It is currently being considered for inclusion in the programme of the European Games, the Islamic Solidarity Games and the Olympic Games.
Eziz Boyarov
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