Ashgabat, 19 November 2014 (nCa) — Turkmenistan is hosting the 9th World Belt Wresting Championship, 19-24 November 2014. The Turkmen form of wrestling – Goresh – features prominently in the grand event.
Wrestlers from some 50 countries including those from the USA, Latin America, Europe, Asia and CIS are participating in the grand event.
Turkmenistan, as the host country, has fielded 54 wrestlers (two in each weight category).
The Goresh form of wrestling is common to most of the Turkic people. A kind of belt wrestling, it dates back to at least 3rd century BC.
The best wrestling in the region is similar in rules and form: Bashkirs and Tatars call it Keryash, Kyrgyz call it Koresh, Uzbeks call it Ika, and Kazakhs call it Guresh.
Identical forms are wrestling are also popular in South Asia, Africa and some parts of Europe.