She kissed the wrestlers on their foreheads: Büşra Özdemir issues statement: 'A woman has claimed the wrestling arena'

Moments of Özdemir embracing the athletes and wishing them success by kissing some of the wrestlers on their foreheads were recorded. The images in question began circulating on social media following the event.

Büşra Özdemir's contact with the wrestlers in the arena was intended to boost the athletes' morale. The posts also brought the visibility of local administrators in the field during traditional sports events to the agenda.

Büşra Özdemir, who met with village headmen (muhtars) in the Kaş district alongside all her bureaucrats and department heads, reacted to the comments made regarding the moments she kissed a wrestler on the forehead.

Sharing a video on her social media account, Özdemir stated, "I have never felt the need to make a statement against the ugly remarks made about me until today. However, now that the subject has been raised, I consider it a debt to myself and our ancestral sport to say a few words against this latest attack."

Özdemir's statement is as follows:

"I condemn, on my own behalf and on behalf of everyone, the 'keyboard warriors' who have been engaging in keyboard bravado about me in recent days, ignoring the country's problems and only writing ugly expressions on social media about a woman dancing at weddings or a brave man being kissed on the forehead at the Elmalı wrestling matches.

A woman stepped up and claimed the wrestling arena. Until now, I have not chosen to just pin medals on the protocol and pose for photos before leaving. We have infinite respect for all sports, but what you call oil wrestling is our Turkish tradition. There is no other sport in the world where the athlete applies henna to their hands and feet, performs their ablutions, and says their prayers before entering that wrestling arena.

They have been raised from childhood with material and spiritual hardships. If someone reaches out to them, they stay on their feet. If you applaud their success, they put forth a struggle with even more determination and enthusiasm. We have seen this because the Antalya Metropolitan Municipality has over 500 wrestlers and 17 head wrestlers (başpehlivan). There is no such club in Turkey. Because this is the land of the Yörüks, the land of wrestlers. If you are sitting in this seat, you have to protect that tradition. Thank God, I am not doing this as a show. I am doing this from the heart. I am doing this with the respect I feel for our ancestral sport. Whatever field we need to serve, we go there. We will fulfill the responsibilities brought by this duty properly.

That day, we had two young wrestlers in front of us. One of them, 18-19 years old, fought with very serious success. Eight people will participate in the head wrestler category of the Presidential Cup, which will be held for the first time in Turkey. Among the head wrestlers who have been wrestling for 10 years, he qualified for that tournament for the first time. This is a great success. His name is Yusuf İslam Taş. The other is Can Ergen. It is a wrestling league that lasts all year. That brother of ours was a wrestler who finished 8 stages undefeated. He experienced very serious difficulties and troubles. Our youth, our athletes, have written their names in golden letters in a great wrestling history. He brought an undefeated championship. In such successes, the foreheads of those brave men are kissed. They also kiss the hands of their masters and their mayor. They can neither break my determination to work, nor stand in the way of the support I will give to this sport, nor can they hurt my heart even a little bit."