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Summer Grand Sumo Tournament to open behind closed doors amid state of emergency Sorry, but your browser needs Javascript to use this site. If you re not sure how to activate it, please refer to this site: https://www.enable-javascript.com/
Ozeki Shodai (right) and Mesei take part in a training session at Ryogoku Kokugikan on April 20. | KYODO
KYODO Apr 26, 2021
The Japan Sumo Association announced Monday it will hold the first three days of the May 9 to 23 Summer Grand Sumo Tournament behind closed doors at Tokyo’s Ryogoku Kokugikan as part of emergency measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Mar 12, 2021
The relocated 2021 Spring Grand Sumo Tournament will get underway Sunday in an unseasonably warm Tokyo that is set to experience a full cherry blossom bloom before the 15-day meet concludes.
It’s now been 12 months since a
basho took place outside the capital, and in that time there have been five straight 13-2 championships with two more names added to a growing list of debutant winners.
Even the return of the sport’s current king is unlikely to alter sumo’s current state of flux, and the stage is set for yet another roller-coaster ride, with half the top division in contention for the title.
A sumo wrestler in Japan said he had "no choice" but to quit the sport after his request to skip a tournament for fear of catching coronavirus was rejected. The 22-year-old known as Kotokantetsu said the Japan Sumo Association had insisted he fight in the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament, which began on Sunday and lasts 15 days. It has gone ahead in front of a reduced crowd despite at least six wrestlers including record-breaking champion.