Sumo to hold 1st event abroad in 20 yrs

Mongolian-born yokozuna (grand champion) Asashoryu partakes in a ring entering ceremony a day before the USA Grand Sumo Tournament at Mandalay Bay Center, Las Vegas on October 6, 2005

Sumo is walking a "tightrope" as it prepares to stage events outside Japan for the first time in 20 years while also trying to preserve its ancient traditions, experts say. The sport will hold exhibition tournaments in London this October and in Paris in June next year, the first time the Japan Sumo Association has been abroad since Las Vegas in 2005.

European promoters appear keen to make overseas events a regular fixture. David Rothschild, promoter and executive producer for Paris event organisers AEG, said "the idea would be to have sumo going to one country or another in the world once per year".

John Gunning, a former amateur sumo wrestler who commentates on the sport in English on Japanese television, says there has been a surge in interest in sumo outside Japan in the last 6-7 years, especially people who got hooked on the sport from afar during COVID lockdowns around the world.

Sumo chiefs have made an effort to reach out to foreign sumo fans in recent years, in 2022 launching the Sumo Prime Time YouTube channel, which has 71,000 subscribers. There is also more language assistance in stadiums in Japan for visitors.

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