What if they have Sumo tourney and nobody came?
Sumo association gets no new applicants
Japan Today - Monday, July 2, 2007, NAGOYA – Sumo’s status as Japan’s national sport has been jeopardized further as no one applied for the tests for new recruits for the first time ever, sumo officials said Sunday. The Japan Sumo Association was forced to cancel the tests scheduled for Monday after receiving no applications from would-be professionals prior to Sunday’s deadline…more…
Of course, the rest-of-the-story is far more “interesting.”
1) The first fun factiod is that nearly one-thirds of the top ranks of sumo—thirteen out of the 42—are are not Japanese. And, the two top sumo champions, Yokozuna, are now Mongolian—there are no Japanese in the champion class. Japanese folks have less interest because sumo itself is less “Japanese.”
2) A second sadder factiod is that sumo is killing its own.
According to MSN-Mainichi News, the sumo wrestler, Tokitaizan, died after collapsing during practice from so-called “heart failure” at age 17 on June 28. There are reports in the Japanese press that the boy’s body had a split ear, a swollen face and there was evidence of burns on his body from a cigarette. The dark secret in sumo is that abuse and hazing “builds character.”
In light of these facts, it’s understandable that no young Japanese guy wants to apply to the Sumo Association’s tests for recruits.
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