Kurash
The old standing wrestling style of the Uzbeks.
Names among the peoples
- kuraş (Uzbeks)
- qurash (Karakalpaks)
About
Kurash is the traditional wrestling of Central Asia, above all of the Uzbeks. It is fought only in the standing position: the aim is to throw the opponent off his feet onto the ground. The trousers and the legs may not be grabbed. The word kurash comes from the Old Turkic küreş; the Karakalpaks call it qurash.
The International Kurash Association was founded in Tashkent on 6 September 1998 by representatives of 28 countries and has held championships since 1999. Kurash made its debut at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang.
History
As Euronews writes, kurash arose on the territory of present-day Uzbekistan at least 3,500 years ago; many old literary and historical sources mention it, and it was shown at feasts and celebrations.
The man who turned kurash into a modern sport is Komil Yusupov, an international master of sport in sambo and judo. For reasons of health he could not compete at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, and afterwards he gave himself to writing the rules of kurash: he set the weight categories and worked out a terminology based on fourteen Uzbek words, the uniform and the judging.
In 1992 the first international kurash tournament for the prize of the President of Uzbekistan was held. On 6 September 1998, in Tashkent, an international congress with teams from 28 countries founded the international body and approved the official international rules. Since then kurash confederations have opened on five continents and 136 national federations have been set up. In 2003 kurash was recognised as an Asian sport.
Rules in brief
There are three scores. Halal is the highest: a wrestler who throws his opponent on his back with full control, force and speed wins the bout at once. Yonbosh is given for a throw close to halal; two yonbosh make a halal. Chala is the lowest score, and no number of chala adds up to a yonbosh.
There are three penalties: tanbeh, dakki and g'irrom; the last means disqualification. A bout lasts three minutes.
Federations and competitions
International federation 1998, world championships, Asian Games.
Peoples
Research: Vasif Namazov, Turan Games Concept
