They’re getting by way of 70kg of rice a day and the wholesaler has run out of noodles. Sure, Sumo returns to London on Wednesday.
It is simply the second time a Grand Event has been held outdoors of Japan – and this can be a sport that has information going again greater than 1,500 years.
It is 34 years for the reason that Royal Albert Corridor hosted the one earlier such occasion on overseas soil – and the urge for food for tickets meant all 5 days bought out instantly.
A lot of the main target is on the 2 grand champions or yokozuna, the 74th and seventy fifth males to achieve the rank.
They’re the Mongolian Hoshoryu Tomokatsu, plus Japan’s Onosato Daiki – who this 12 months turned the quickest wrestler to attain the rank within the fashionable period.
“I’m happy that Sumo is back after so many years,” Onosato mentioned. “I hope I can show the UK fans how fantastic Sumo is.”
“Being a yokozuna has a lot of responsibility,” Hoshoryu informed Sky Sports activities. “We have to show everyone an example of what a yokozuna is – and that’s very difficult.
“My uncle was a yokozuna – and I am glad to observe in his footsteps. However I got here right here to London as a yokozuna which he did not, so I am even happier.”
The 2 are already nice rivals.
Picture:
Onosato Daiki turned the quickest ever to attain yokozuna rank. Pic: AP
On the latest Aki Basho – probably the most prestigious event on the sumo calendar – the pair completed with an identical information after 15 days of bouts.
All of it got here all the way down to a closing play-off between the 2 yokozuna – the primary time that had occurred in 16 years. It was Onosato who got here out on high on that event.
Hoshoryu says he’s a giant fan of basketball and soccer. He follows Chelsea, though his favorite gamers are going again a bit: “Didier Drogba and Petr Cech. He’s the ‘keeper. I like this guy!”
Early begins and a hearty stew: The lifetime of a rikishi
The wrestlers – or rikishi – have a rigorous coaching regime.
They dwell in communal blocks referred to as stables and observe begins early. Maybe surprisingly, everybody skips breakfast. After coaching and observe – and for the youthful rikishi, chores – the wrestlers all eat collectively.
The staple of their weight loss plan is chankonabe, a hearty stew full of meat and greens. The feeding of the 40 rikishi who’ve come over for the five-day event is a problem in itself.
Donagh Collins, the CEO of co-organisers Askonas Holt, mentioned: “We are going through 70 kilos of rice a day. Somebody told me that the wholesaler for the noodles has run out of noodles. We’re really pushing the system here.”
The ring – or dohyo – is simply 4.55m in diameter and fairly small when two big wrestlers leap at one another.
The purpose of the fights is to both get your opponent onto the ground – or, extra spectacularly, shove or hurl them out of the dohyo, so spectators within the ringside seats could also be getting extraordinarily up-close to the wrestlers.
The final time the event was in Britain, the huge Konishiki, often known as the Dump Truck, took centre stage.
The enormous Hawaiian was the heaviest-ever rikishi coming in at 287kg – or 45 stone. That is plenty of wrestler to dodge if he comes falling out of the ring in the direction of you.
The Royal Albert Corridor could also be firstly a live performance venue, but it surely has hosted the likes of John McEnroe, Lennox Lewis and even Muhammad Ali.
And for the subsequent 5 days, the cream of the world of sumo might be thrilling the crowds – offered a brand new noodle provider is discovered.
What’s a yokozuna?
Yokozuna is the best rank in sumo, with its title that means “horizontal rope” and refers back to the rope worn round a competitor’s waist as they enter the ring.
