ID :
128093
Wed, 06/16/2010 - 11:06
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/128093
The shortlink copeid
Sumo: Kotomitsuki confesses to police about gambling
+
TOKYO, June 15 Kyodo -
Ozeki Kotomitsuki, who has been suspended over an illegal gambling scandal, has
admitted that he was involved in gambling on baseball games, the Metropolitan
Police Department said on Tuesday.
Police questioned Kotomitsuki anew after he had previously denied involvement
in gambling.
The ozeki will miss next month's Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament in his native
Aichi Prefecture and is banned from participating in sumo for the time being.
The Japan Sumo Association on Tuesday accepted an offer by his stablemaster
Sadogatake for the suspension in a board meeting to discuss gambling problems
that have hit the ancient national pastime.
Kotomitsuki, 34, admitted to gambling in the JSA's recent survey that showed a
total of 65 people in the sumo world engaged in some kind of gambling over the
past five years.
All of the 65 JSA members have received severe reprimands. The JSA will
reconsider Kotomitsuki's punishment based on the results of the police
investigation but a harsh verdict seems inevitable since the ozeki did an
about-face after initially denying his involvement.
The JSA will consider imposing some kind of concrete punishment on those involved.
The police unit investigating organized crime reckons gang members were
involved in the baseball gambling and are set to question 28 others who have
admitted to illegal betting before deciding whether to prosecute them on an
individual basis.
The JSA conducted a survey after the Shukan Shincho weekly magazine reported
last month that Kotomitsuki is heavily in debt from gambling on professional
baseball and has been blackmailed by former gangsters to pay 100 million yen in
hush money.
Kotomitsuki, whose real name is Keiji Tamiya, later called the article a
fabrication and categorically denied his involvement when questioned by both
the police and the JSA.
However on Sunday, he admitted to the allegations upon a visit with JSA
chairman Musashigawa and submitted a report to the fact the following day,
which was the deadline for responses for the survey.
''Kotomitsuki is very sorry for his actions and has agreed to cooperate with
police since he feels regret. We cannot have this (illegal gambling) in sumo
and I want to apologize to the fans. We must get rid of all of the unsavory
elements in sumo,'' said Musashigawa.
In July 2007, Kotomitsuki became the first Japanese-born wrestler in six years
to be promoted to sumo's second-highest rank of ozeki in a sport increasingly
dominated by foreign wrestlers such as Mongolians.
The gambling scandal comes after former grand champion Asashoryu retired in
February amid allegations he assaulted a man outside a Tokyo nightclub while
two stablemasters have been recently punished by the JSA for proving special
sumo tickets to gang members.
The survey has found 29 of them gambled on baseball games while 36 were
involved in gambling on activities such as mahjong, ''hanafuda'' games using
Japanese playing cards or golf.
==Kyodo
TOKYO, June 15 Kyodo -
Ozeki Kotomitsuki, who has been suspended over an illegal gambling scandal, has
admitted that he was involved in gambling on baseball games, the Metropolitan
Police Department said on Tuesday.
Police questioned Kotomitsuki anew after he had previously denied involvement
in gambling.
The ozeki will miss next month's Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament in his native
Aichi Prefecture and is banned from participating in sumo for the time being.
The Japan Sumo Association on Tuesday accepted an offer by his stablemaster
Sadogatake for the suspension in a board meeting to discuss gambling problems
that have hit the ancient national pastime.
Kotomitsuki, 34, admitted to gambling in the JSA's recent survey that showed a
total of 65 people in the sumo world engaged in some kind of gambling over the
past five years.
All of the 65 JSA members have received severe reprimands. The JSA will
reconsider Kotomitsuki's punishment based on the results of the police
investigation but a harsh verdict seems inevitable since the ozeki did an
about-face after initially denying his involvement.
The JSA will consider imposing some kind of concrete punishment on those involved.
The police unit investigating organized crime reckons gang members were
involved in the baseball gambling and are set to question 28 others who have
admitted to illegal betting before deciding whether to prosecute them on an
individual basis.
The JSA conducted a survey after the Shukan Shincho weekly magazine reported
last month that Kotomitsuki is heavily in debt from gambling on professional
baseball and has been blackmailed by former gangsters to pay 100 million yen in
hush money.
Kotomitsuki, whose real name is Keiji Tamiya, later called the article a
fabrication and categorically denied his involvement when questioned by both
the police and the JSA.
However on Sunday, he admitted to the allegations upon a visit with JSA
chairman Musashigawa and submitted a report to the fact the following day,
which was the deadline for responses for the survey.
''Kotomitsuki is very sorry for his actions and has agreed to cooperate with
police since he feels regret. We cannot have this (illegal gambling) in sumo
and I want to apologize to the fans. We must get rid of all of the unsavory
elements in sumo,'' said Musashigawa.
In July 2007, Kotomitsuki became the first Japanese-born wrestler in six years
to be promoted to sumo's second-highest rank of ozeki in a sport increasingly
dominated by foreign wrestlers such as Mongolians.
The gambling scandal comes after former grand champion Asashoryu retired in
February amid allegations he assaulted a man outside a Tokyo nightclub while
two stablemasters have been recently punished by the JSA for proving special
sumo tickets to gang members.
The survey has found 29 of them gambled on baseball games while 36 were
involved in gambling on activities such as mahjong, ''hanafuda'' games using
Japanese playing cards or golf.
==Kyodo
