think that sumo is for boys and men, that s why they re easily surprised and even shocked to find out i do it. if we get more girls and women in sumo we ll be able to level the playing field. reporter: a number of scandals in recent years have tarnished the reputation of the national sport. in 2018 when a sitting mayor collapsed in the ring, the women trying to save his life were asked to leave. according to tradition, the supposedly impure women would pollute the sacred space. the man s life was saved but the incident sparked a backlash in japan prompting the sumo association to apologize. the following year the inaugural wanpaku girls national sumo championship was held in tokyo. the event had been open to boys since 1984, but only now girls age 8 to 12 getting a shot.