Go Niche

The Camel League sounds like a football tournament in a country keen on tobacco sponsorship. In fact it refers to the ancient sport of camel wrestling.

And it’s what the Turks of the Aegean coast get down to when the tourists have gone home for the winter. The sport involves specially-bred combat camels that weigh up to a ton each. Of this, half is made up of muscle and half of the brightly coloured knitwear that is their version of the wrestler’s leotard.

* Competitions take place weekly between November and March, the camel mating season. This is significant, because the bulls are fighting over which of them gets the girl – a female camel led through the ring at the start of each match. The fight begins when the bulls are frothing at the mouth. Matches last 10 minutes each; contestants are muzzled, to ensure no ears are bitten off; and up to two dozen judges are in the ring, awarding points for style and technique.

* Once it has been established which is the stronger animal, the weaker has a tendency to skedaddle, usually through the crowd, with the victor in hot pursuit. Like Pamplona’s bull running, the real sport then is for spectators to get out of the way, fast.

* About 100 bull camels are on tour, competing in about 30 festivals each winter. It takes four years of training to be a prize fighter, and camels can compete from the ages of eight to 25 years, winning thousands of lire for their owners.