Japan sumo chief says some still oppose foreigners

[Ivar Petersen <ivar@ms.com>]

RT 10/02/1997 10:10 Japan sumo chief says some still oppose foreigners
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    TOKYO, Oct 2 (Reuter) - There is still opposition to the
participation of foreigners in Japan's national sport of sumo
wrestling, the head of the sport said on Thursday.
    "There are no fixed rules, but many sumo stable (training
school) owners cannot be bothered recruiting foreigners as sumo
wrestlers," Sho Sakaigawa, chairman of the Japan Sumo
Association, told a news conference.
    Sakaigawa said there had been problems in the past with
foreigners adjusting to the strict world of sumo and leaving
soon after entering it. He also said there was opposition from
people who believed the participation of foreigners would spoil
the culture and ruin the spirit of sumo.
    "I expect this tendency will not last, however," he said,
pointing to the success of some foreigners who have risen to
the top ranks of the sport.
    Top-class sumo wrestling currently has about 880
participants but only 17 are foreigners.
    In one of the sport's most recent tournaments there were
five Brazilian, six Americans, two Argentinians, one Chinese
and three Mongolian wrestlers.
    The three highest-ranking foreign-born sumo wrestlers,
Hawaiians Akebono, Musashimaru and Konishiki, have all become
naturalised Japanese.
    Sakaigawa's comments come at a time when the sport is
coming under pressure to reform itself.
    Crowd attendances at tournaments this year have been lower
than usual, and there are calls for more aggressive styles of
fighting to create a greater spectacle.
    In sumo, two wrestlers use their bulk and skill to try to
throw each other to the ground or out of a clay ring.
    - Tokyo newsroom (813) 3432-8018
    email: tokyo.newsroom@reuters.com


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