Çankırı Salt Festival launches with 100 teams in unique salt sport competition

The 5th International Traditional Çankırı Salt Festival, the world’s only salt‑sport event, opened in Çankırı, Turkey. Hosted by the Çankırı Municipality, the festival features football, volleyball, handball and a new discipline called Tuzvivor played on specially prepared rock‑salt fields. A total of 100 teams and 596 athletes are competing.

The opening ceremony included a friendly salt‑football match in which former Beşiktaş player Pascal Nouma performed the kickoff. Mayor İsmail Hakkı Esen said, “Beş yıldır gerçekleştirdiğimiz tuz spor müsabakaları ile dünyada eşi benzeri olmayan bir organizasyona imza atıyor; sporu, Çankırı’nın binlerce yıllık kaya tuzu mirasıyla buluşturarak uluslararası ölçekte ilgi gören özgün bir festival geleneği oluşturuyoruz.” He added that the city expects more than 150,000 visitors for the event.