Htay
Win
time.
Kyin wrestling, being a kind of national identity for Rakhine people, is one of
national
sports
in Arakan (Rakhine) that is very popular up to this day. Kyin means a spinning
top
in
Rakhine language. Some point out that Kyin was derived from Kyar Yin.
The Kyar
Yin was being corrupted
to Kyin. Literally, Kyar means the tiger and Yin means the fly. But some people there
called wrestling jun. In many part of Rakhine any large festivity wouldn’t be
completed without
the Kyin tournament.
In the first round, one athlete has to act like a tiger or
as an offensive wrestler while another one is acting like a fly or as a
defensive wrestler. During the second round, defensive one in the first round
becomes the offensive one while the offensive
one in
the first round becomes the defensive one. They change the roles alternatively until
the game is
over.
In a wrestling tournament, it needs two athletes to compete for the first session. and the winner has to compete against another opponent in the second
session. Thus, winner
competes
against a new opponent in each session eliminating them until he reaches the final session for getting the trophy. The
offensive wrestler is called Aphan and defensive wrestler is called
Akhan in Rakhine language.