Sumo olympic games

Unlike other athletes, sumo wrestlers are considered living performers of a cultural tradition and are expected to be role models. This is especially true of the yokozuna. Only men can become professional sumo wrestlers. In a sumo referee blocked women who went up to the fighting ring to provide first aid for a mayor who collapsed in the ring while making a speech at a sumo event in Kyoto. Before every tournament, Shinto priests perform rituals to pacify the gods by pouring rice, sake and other offerings into a little hole in the center of the ring.

Associated Press writer Mari Yamaguchi contributed to this report. Sumo wrestling coming -- sort of -- to the Tokyo Olympics. More Coverage: Tokyo Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. The Associated Press. Each year, his hometown of Atlanta hosts a Japan Festival, which draws in thousands of attendees. He said the last time they did a sumo demonstration it was in front of a packed crowd. Sumo, or at least Japan's arena for the sport, will be part of the Olympics.

Kokugikan Arena, the spiritual home of Japan's national sport, will house the boxing events for the Tokyo Games. Boxing events at Tokyo will be held at Kokugikan Arena. The capacity indoor venue is home of the Japanese national sport sumo wrestling. It is designed in a bowl shape to allow spectators to easily view the sumo bouts in the centre of the auditorium. In the United States, at most a dozen or so competitors from a handful of states — like Florida, Texas and California — will meet in tournaments.

Growing sumo is difficult, especially when stereotypes about the look of the athletes and the nature of the sport still exist. Yes, this sport has men and women and yes, this sport has different weight classes. Those are the three things that we try to break the stigma of. He admits he's typically on the lighter-weight side of the sport but he also appreciates the importance of the athletes that fit that stereotype.

But a lot of people might think they have to be big in order to compete. But that's like saying chess is just moving pieces around a board. There's a lot more going on beneath the surface. Regardless, changing those views of sumo and growing the sport in the United States could start as early as next summer, when the World Games are hosted in Birmingham, Alabama. That could be the next step toward growing sumo wrestling in the States.