“5th Turkish World Ancestral Sports Festival”, which is organized in order to introduce the values of Turkish culture to future generations and to strengthen the unity of heart of Turkish peoples, under the coordination of Bursa Metropolitan Municipality-member of Union of Turkish World Municipalities (TDBB)-and with the contributions of Keles Municipality, Bursa Governorship, Union of Bursa Culture, Tourism and Promotion, Turkish Traditional Sports Branches Federation, World Ethnosports Confederation, TDBB and TURKSOY, was held on 22-24 July 2022 in Bursa Keles Kocayayla.
5th Turkish World Ancestral Sports Festival was attended by Bursa Governor Yakup Canbolat, Mayor of Bursa Metropolitan Municipality Alinur Aktaş, Member of Parliament of Bursa Ahmet Kılıç, Mayor of Keles Mehmet Keskin, Mayor of Orhaneli Ali Aykurt, President of World Ethnosports Confederation Bilal Erdoğan, President of Traditional Sports Federation Hakan Kazancı, representatives of non-governmental organizations and guests.
The cortege walked from the entrance of Cumhuriyet Street to Fomara 15 July Democracy Square and greeted the people. Mehter band and rahvan horses association teams accompanied the march. At the end of the march, artists from Kazakhstan performed traditional folk dances.
In the festival that lasted for two days in the area where Orhan Gazi married Nilüfer Hatun and Murad-ı Hüdavendigar was preparing for war, horse-drawn javelin and root ball competitions, pacing horse riding, horse archery, horse acrobatics shows, Bursalı Şüca Archery competition, aba, girdle, karakucak, salwar and oil wrestling, Alpagut martial arts performances were held. While the citizens were doing archery training at the Arrow Square, Turkish archery shooting techniques were also given training. Concerts of Ömer Faruk Bostan, Uğur Önür, Reyhan Ediş and Ece Seçkin continued throughout the festival.
Mayor of Bursa Metropolitan Municipality Alinur Aktaş, in his speech at the opening of the festivities, stated that the traditional sports inherited from our ancestors are not just a branch of sports, they contain a culture, and that it is the effort to keep this culture alive that brings the Turkish world together in Bursa Kocayayla. He also added, “Our traditional values and games, dating back thousands of years, were shaped by our beliefs, customs and traditions and became a part of our identity. It is our duty to keep this tradition alive and carry it to the future. Our aim is to strengthen the unity and brotherhood of the Turkish nation and to transfer the common Turkish culture to future generations”.
