Belt wrestling is a form of wrestling that is one of the oldest historically recorded sports. It involves two belted contestants aiming to take each other over by grappling with a belt. There are hundreds of national belt wrestling styles, but contemporary most widespread and internationally competed are Alysh and Kurash, developed by the previously nomadic Turkic peoples of Central Asia. United World Wrestling recognized Alysh wrestling as the primary international belt wrestling style. It is regulated globally by the International Federation of Wrestling on Belts Alysh, the sport's governing body. Although the sport has been practiced for millennia, and local championships were held in various places of the world, it was until 2001 when Bayaman Erkinbayev started its international version, and it was called "Alysh". Until 2005, Rif Gaynanov and Bayaman Erkinbayev developed this style together, and then the ways separated. Two different styles appeared named "Alysh" and "Kurash" belt wrestling. Since then, the sport has been included in the 2013 Summer Universiade program, recognized by the Asian Olympic Council, and contested at the Asian Games and Asian Indoor Games. The sport's executives struggle to promote it to the level of an official Olympic sport.
History Gilgamesh engages in a form of belt wrestling with Enkidu in the Epic of Gilgamesh written around 2000 BC about a king of Sumer who lived around 2800 to 2600 BC. One of the oldest recorded illustrations of wrestling is a bronze statuette, dated to around 2600 BC, found in 1938 at Khafaji, near Baghdad and now stored in the National Museum of Iraq. Chinese Tangshu chronicles also mention belt wrestling in Medieval China circa the 11th century. In the 11th century the scholar and philosopher Avicenna wrote about this type of wrestling.
Competitions Multi-sport events Worldwide Summer Universiade World Combat Games World Martial Arts Masterships World Nomad Games World Wrestling Games
Regional Asian Games Asian Beach Games Asian Indoor Games Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games
Sub-Regional Southeast Asian Games North East Olympic Games
World Belt Wrestling Championships IBWA - INTERNATIONAL BELT WRESTLING ASSOCIATION Senior The first edition of the championships in 2002 saw competition in the openweight, therefore only two events were contested (men and women.) The 2003' championships were subdivided into weight classes, but because of the rules of the host country no women competition was allowed. Since 2003 the prize money totalling several hundred thousand U.S. dollars was contested among participating teams. Since the 2005' edition onwards the championships were contested in freestyle (belts) and classic style (kushaks.) The 2008' edition saw championships contested at an open-air competition area, on sand, in air temperature.
Alysh EditionYearDatesCity and host countryVenueEventsCountriesAthletesTeam championI200221–22 September Osh, KyrgyzstanSuyumbayev Stadion221 II200319–21 December Tehran, IranAzadi Indoor Stadium4 III200417–18 December Istanbul, Turkey 9 IV200528 September – 2 October Kazan, Tatarstan, RussiaBasket-Hall2544200+V20063–5 November Almaty, KazakhstanBaluan Sholak Sports Palace2543130VI20079–13 October Ufa, Bashkortostan, RussiaUfa Arena 60 VII200818–22 November Lomé, TogoStade de Kégué1540+ 200911–13 September Šiauliai, LithuaniaŠiauliai Arena4 VIII24–26 October Tashkent, UzbekistanUzbekistan Sports Complex2668400+2010IX201113–16 October Bishkek, KyrgyzstanKozhomkul Sports Palace1919175X201226–30 September Astana, KazakhstanDaulet Sports Complex1932300+XI201313–16 November Salavat, Bashkortostan, RussiaNeftehimik Sports Palace1738300+XII201419–24 November Ashgabat, TurkmenistanGalkynysh Sports Complex XIII201519–22 November Kazan, Tatarstan, RussiaAk Bars Martial Arts Palace1918140+XIV201628–30 October Naberezhnye Chelny, Tatarstan, RussiaIce Sports Palace1943250+XV201721–24 July Astana, KazakhstanDaulet Sports Complex XVI201826–27 October Kazan, Tatarstan, RussiaAk Bars Martial Arts Palace 38200XVII201917–24 December Nur-Sultan, KazakhstanDaulet Sports Complex1227275XVIII2020TBATBA TBD
Kurash EditionYearDatesCity and host countryVenueEventsCountriesAthletesTeam championI201021–23 May Kazan, Tatarstan, RussiaAk Bars Martial Arts Palace516 IIIII20146–7 December Orenburg, RussiaOlimpiysky Sports Palace 25 IV2015 Kazan, Tatarstan, RussiaAk Bars Martial Arts Palace 2064201931 October – 3 November Kazan, Tatarstan, RussiaAk Bars Martial Arts Palace1342230 Minger, Tatarstan, RussiaMINGER Sabantuy Grounds
Goresh EditionYearDatesCity and host countryVenueEventsCountriesAthletesTeam championI200911–13 September Šiauliai, LithuaniaŠiauliai Arena4 II201510–15 December Orenburg, RussiaOlimpiysky Sports Palace 30160+III201629–30 October Naberezhnye Chelny, Tatarstan, RussiaIce Sports Palace1319382019September Ufa, Bashkortostan, RussiaDynamo Stadium
Multi-style EditionYearDatesCity and host countryVenueEventsCountriesAthletesTeam champion20159–12 October Białystok, Poland 23 20167–8 September Cholpon-Ata, KyrgyzstanEquestrian Hippodrome23 20181–3 September Cholpon-Ata, KyrgyzstanEquestrian Hippodrome23 2020 Turkey
Open
Youth Junior EditionYearDatesCity and host countryVenueEventsCountriesAthletesTeam champion200617–19 November Saransk, Mordovia, Russia 201111–14 August Astrakhan, Russia 2012 São Paulo, Brazil 20138–11 November Cherkessk, Karachay-Cherkessia, Russia 201422–24 August Ulyanovsk, Russia 201725–28 December Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia
Cadet EditionYearDatesCity and host countryVenueEventsCountriesAthletesTeam champion2005December Tehran, Iran 200812–15 December Moscow, Russia 20129–12 August Ryazan, Russia 201313–15 December Nizhnekamsk, Tatarstan, Russia 201413–16 December Tyulyachi, Tatarstan, Russia 201626–28 November Astana, Kazakhstan
Belt Wrestling World Cup
EditionYearDatesCity and host countryVenueEventsCountriesAthletesTeam champion200713–14 October Karachayevsk, Karachay-Cherkessia, Russia 20103–6 December Oktyabrsky, Bashkortostan, RussiaOktyabrsky Sports Palace 201117–20 November Oktyabrsky, Bashkortostan, RussiaOktyabrsky Sports Palace 20128–10 November Ufa, Bashkortostan, RussiaDynamo Stadium 2212020145–7 December Orenburg, RussiaGazovik Sports Palace 26300+201524–28 September Alushta, Crimea, Russia 201610–11 December Minsk, Belarus 201726–28 May Orenburg, Russia 128140
Regional Championships African Championships EditionYearDatesCity and host countryVenueStylesEventsCountriesAthletesTeam champion201718–19 May Cape Town, South Africa AL, KK, BW
Asian EditionYearDatesCity and host countryVenueStylesEventsCountriesAthletesTeam championI2011 Mashhad, Iran KK 20156–7 August Tehran, Iran AL 201625–26 June
Amateur Belt Wrestling Federation India holds meeting
European
Pan-American EditionYearDatesCity and host countryVenueStylesEventsCountriesAthletesTeam champion201512–15 November Buenos Aires, Argentina BW
See also Jacket wrestling
References
Notes