# Turkey youth sports festivals and competitions 2026 > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/turkish-oil-wrestling-festivals-2026 > Updated: 2026-07-30T23:25:41.000Z. Sources: 23. Developments: 9. The summer of 2026 has seen a wave of traditional and modern sporting celebrations across Turkey. Early June featured the Manisa Yuntdağı wrestling tournament, followed by the Dereköy Karakucak and Şalvar festivals in Kahramanmaraş at month’s end. Wrestlers such as Feyzullah Aktürk continued to dominate, while the Sekapark Altınkemer qualifier highlighted regional talent. Youth festivals promoted historic sports among students, and two promising wrestlers from Kahramanmaraş—Sefa Cesur (86 kg) and Nurettin Emin Kapal (61 kg)—were selected for the U‑20 Freestyle Wrestling European Championship in North Macedonia (6‑12 July). In parallel, Turkey’s U‑17 handball squad travelled to the European Championship, earning praise from the North Cyprus Handball Federation. Expanding the youth‑sport agenda, the Turkey U‑18 men’s handball team announced an 18‑player roster for the 2026 European Championship in Belgrade, Serbia, and held a final preparation camp in Ankara from 22 to 28 July. At the tournament, the team struggled, losing to Germany 45‑23 after earlier defeats to Serbia (34‑25) and Italy (41‑23), leaving Turkey fourth in Group B. The squad will continue in the placement round with matches against Sweden on 3 August and North Macedonia on 4 August. Additionally, the U‑16 women’s Balkan volleyball championship will be staged in Grevena, Greece, from 21 to 25 July, with six national teams—including Turkey—competing in a round‑robin format. These events underline Turkey’s broader strategy to showcase and develop young athletes across multiple disciplines on the continental stage. ## Timeline ### 2026-07-30: Turkey U18 Handball Team beaten 45-23 by Germany Turkey U18 handball lost 45‑23 to Germany in the group stage of the 2026 European Championship, finishing fourth in Group B and moving to placement matches. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/turkey-u18-handball-team-beaten-45-23-by-germany ### 2026-07-19: Turkey Youth Handball and Volleyball Teams Set for 2026 Championships Turkey's U18 men’s handball roster is set for the 2026 European Championship in Belgrade, while its U16 women’s volleyball team will compete in the Balkan Championship in Greece. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/turkey-youth-handball-and-volleyball-teams-set-for-2026-championships ### 2026-07-06: Turkish Wrestlers and Handball Team Head to European Youth Championships Turkish youth wrestlers and a U‑17 handball team competed in European championships, earning national pride and aiming for medals. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/turkish-wrestlers-and-handball-team-head-to-european-youth-championships ### 2026-06-28: Kahramanmaraş Dereköy Wrestling Festival marred by name controversy and protests Kahramanmaraş'ı Dulkadiroğlu Belediyesi düzenlediği Dereköy Karakucak ve Şalvar güreş festivali, 454 sporcunun katılımı ve Emin Demir, Emre Batuhan Karslı'nın şampiyonluğu eşliğinde, Şeref Eroğlu isminin kaldır 7 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/turkeys-hakkari-valley-hosts-wrestling-finals-rize-holds-bullwrestling-festival ### 2026-06-14: Feyzullah Aktürk Crowned Champion at Kocaeli Sekapark Oil Wrestling Tournament Feyzullah Aktürk won the 18th Sekapark Altınkemer oil wrestling tournament in Kocaeli, Turkey, with the final aired on TRT Spor Yıldız and his victory securing a spot in the upcoming Kırkpınar competition. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/feyzullah-aktrk-crowned-champion-at-kocaeli-sekapark-oil-wrestling-tournament ### 2026-06-08: Turkey hosts youth sports festivals featuring traditional wrestling and ancient games Turkey held two youth sports festivals – traditional oil wrestling in Gaziantep with 1,316 participants and a historic‑site event in Kütahya’s Aizanoi aiming for 20,000 youths – to boost sports culture and link 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/turkey-hosts-youth-sports-festivals-featuring-traditional-wrestling-and-ancient-games ### 2026-06-07: Feyzullah Aktürk wins başpehlivan at Manisa's Yuntdağı Oil Wrestling Feyzullah Aktürk captured the başpehlivan title at the Yuntdağı Oil Wrestling Festival in Manisa (June 5‑7 2026), defeating Yusuf Can Zeybek in the final before Mayor Besim Dutlulu presented the belt. 4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/feyzullah-aktrk-crowned-bapehlivan-at-manisas-yuntda-oil-wrestling-festival ### 2026-06-05: Manisa hosts Yuntdağı Oil Wrestling festival, June 5‑7 2026 Manisa's Yuntdağı oil wrestling festival ran June 5‑7 2026 with over 1,500 wrestlers; finals were set for Sunday and the mayor praised the tradition. 5 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/manisa-holds-yuntda-oil-wrestling-festival ### 2026-06-02: Manisa and Samsun districts schedule oil wrestling festivals for June‑July 2026 Manisa will host the Yuntdağı oil wrestling festival June 5‑7 2026 with 540 wrestlers, while Salıpazarı in Samsun plans its second oil wrestling competition on July 18 2026, drawing participants from across the 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/manisa-and-samsun-districts-schedule-oil-wrestling-festivals-for-junejuly-2026 --- Cite as: Turkey youth sports festivals and competitions 2026. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/turkish-oil-wrestling-festivals-2026