Sumo: Reform-minded Takanohana joins JSA board

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TOKYO, Feb. 1 Kyodo -
Former grand champion Takanohana won a seat in the Japan Sumo Association's
decision-making body on Monday after his bid to reform the scandal-hit sport
forced only the fourth board election in more than 40 years.
Takanohana was elected to the 10-man JSA board from among 11 candidates who
were all backed by their respective factions, with the exception of Takanohana
himself.
The soft-spoken 37-year-old surprised the sumo world in early January when he
parted ways with the Nishonoseki faction and announced his candidacy as an
independent.
For many years, old-guard faction leaders have avoided having JSA board
elections to make sure their candidates secure seats.
But the unaffiliated Takanohana decided to test his fortunes despite his
chances of winning appearing slim due to a lack of sufficient support and
loyalty among members in each faction.
He then drew 10 votes. Fellow stablemaster Oshima lost his seat after receiving
eight votes in the first board election since 2002.
''I'm honored to have received votes from nine stablemasters. I'd like to take
responsible action,'' said Takanohana, who cast a ballot for himself to make it
10.
''Today is my start. I'd like to listen to young stablemasters as much as
possible and take their opinions to board meetings,'' he said.
A total of 111 JSA members cast secret single ballots in the election.
Musashigawa was re-elected as JSA chairman by the new board shortly after the
vote.
Nishonoseki, one of five groups comprised of various stables, initially planned
to send three candidates, all older than Takanohana, to the board and expected
a total of 10 candidates, including those from other factions, for 10 board
positions.
After Takanohana's decision to run, the turmoil intensified when six other
Nishonoseki stablemasters left the group to support Takanohana.
The new board immediately faces one big issue -- Asashoryu's alleged drunken
rampage in mid-January.
The Mongolian-born grand champion, 29, was reported by weekly magazine
''Friday'' last week to have been ''wrecked'' before slugging an acquaintance,
who was originally believed to have been his manager, outside a nightclub in
downtown Nishiazabu in the early hours of Jan. 16.
However, another tabloid-style magazine, Shukan Shincho, then reported that the
actual man attacked in the incident and left with injuries that included a
broken nose, was in charge of a dance club where the yokozuna had been
drinking.
Sumo's self-styled enfant terrible and a 25-time Emperor's Cup winner,
Asashoryu is no stranger to controversy and his frequent breaches of protocol
have led to an increasingly strained relationship with the sumo establishment.
In 2007, Asashoryu received a two-tournament ban after it was revealed that he
had played hooky from a summer regional tour by feigning the degree of his
injuries while later taking part in a soccer match in his native Mongolia.
==Kyodo
2010-02-01 23:54:04