Taha Akgül says Turkish wrestling is targeting international success through long-term planning

Taha Akgül said they were making long-term plans for the future of Turkish wrestling at the Turkish Championship of the 4th Traditional Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu Karakucak Wrestling Festival held in Sivas.

Scraper SystemSeptember 09, 2026, 05:23 PM

Taha Akgül says Turkish wrestling is targeting international success through long-term planning

With 11 European, 3 world and 1 Olympic championship titles in his career, Taha Akgül assessed the future of Turkish wrestling in Sivas, where he was attending the Turkish Championship of the 4th Traditional Muhsin Yazıcıoğlu Karakucak Wrestling Festival.

Akgül said a facility with 10 wrestling mats would be opened in Sivas with the support of Minister of Youth and Sports Osman Aşkın Bak. He thanked Sivas Mayor Adem Uzun for his support for wrestling.

Karakucak as part of the grassroots system

Akgül said competitions held on grass provided valuable experience on the path to European, world and Olympic championships, adding that karakucak wrestling was one of the fundamental components of the grassroots system. He said they aimed for children to represent Türkiye on the international stage.

Akgül said short-term plans had been made in the past, while they had adopted a long-term approach, adding that these steps were necessary to secure the future of Turkish wrestling. He said they were working to increase children’s and families’ interest in wrestling and attached importance to karakucak and oil wrestling.

Akgül said countries sought to demonstrate their strength at international competitions through their medal counts, emphasizing that Türkiye needed to be represented more strongly at these events. He said they wanted to maintain the wrestlers’ enthusiasm and increase interest in the federation.

111 medals at the Mediterranean Games

Akgül said Türkiye competed in 17 weight categories and won 111 medals as a team at the 20th Mediterranean Games, held in Taranto, Italy, from August 21 to September 3. He said Italy ranked first and Türkiye second in the overall standings, adding that wrestling was the sport that won the most medals at the event.

Akgül said the Mediterranean Games results were not their sole measure of success, adding that they based their main assessment on results at the world and Olympic championships. He said they were preparing for the 2026 World Wrestling Championships, which will be held in Kazakhstan from October 24 to November 1.

Akgül said important competitions were approaching in the final part of the season and that the world championships would be difficult, but the team would gain experience. He said women’s wrestling also had strong athletes, adding that they viewed the 2026 World Championships as an important stage in preparation for the Olympic Games and aimed to win as many medals as possible.

Taha Akgül says Turkish wrestling is targeting international success through long-term planning