ID :
132441
Mon, 07/12/2010 - 06:50
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/132441
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Sumo: Nagoya meet gets under way under specter of gambling ring
NAGOYA, July 11 Kyodo -
The Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament kicked off the opening day on Sunday to a
nearly packed house shaken but undeterred by a gambling scandal rocking the
ancient Japanese sport.
Grand champion Hakuho, bidding for his third consecutive title, got off to a
turbo start with a victory over Georgian Tochinoshin, shrugging off his own
critics following a gaffe he made earlier this week.
In the day's final at Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium, Hakuho quickly got both
hands wrapped around the newly promoted komusubi before rolling him to the dirt
with an overarm throw.
Sumo's lone yokozuna won the previous two meets with perfect 15-0 marks and is
now on a 33-bout winning streak dating back to January.
Hakuho got in a bit of hot water after admitting to gambling on ''hanafuda''
Japanese card games, but he has not been implicated in the more serious
baseball gambling ring, which is allegedly linked to Japan's criminal
underworld.
He later criticized the sumo association for going too far by deciding not to
present the coveted Emperor's Cup, or any other awards at the 15-day Nagoya
meet.
Outside the auditorium the mood was somber with a tightened police presence on
the lookout for any criminal elements and signs posted near the entrance
strictly forbidding gangsters from the premise. Inside, an announcer repeated
the same message over the PA system.
Hiroshi Murayama, who is acting chief for suspended Japan Sumo Association
Chairman Musashigawa, apologized to fans before the yokozuna performed the
ritual ''dohyo-iri'' ceremony.
''I want to apologize in place of Chairman Musashigawa from the bottom of my
heart for all of the concern we have caused the sumo fans and the people at
large who support us,'' said Murayama. ''The sumo association has come together
to make this tournament one in which we make a fresh start in reforming sumo.''
Back in the ring, veteran ozeki Kaio disposed of Russian Aran with a slap down
immediately after the face-off, while Bulgarian ozeki Kotooshu muscled out
Asasekiryu after getting both hands on his opponent's ''mawashi'' belt.
Estonian ozeki Baruto wasted little time fussing with Mongolian Hakuba,
twisting the newly promoted komusubi to the sandy surface with an arm bar
technique.
Mongolian Harumafuji was the lone ozeki casualty after he put up little
resistance and was shoved over the edge with a series of thrusts by Tochiozan.
Former ozeki Kotomitsuki was fired last week along with stablemaster Otake as
the pair was implicated in gambling on baseball.
According to the JSA, it was the first time since 1985 that there was not a
capacity crowd on the first day of the Nagoya meet.
Over a dozen wrestlers have been suspended for involvement in gambling and
public broadcaster NHK has taken the unprecedented move in deciding not to air
the meet live.
==Kyodo
The Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament kicked off the opening day on Sunday to a
nearly packed house shaken but undeterred by a gambling scandal rocking the
ancient Japanese sport.
Grand champion Hakuho, bidding for his third consecutive title, got off to a
turbo start with a victory over Georgian Tochinoshin, shrugging off his own
critics following a gaffe he made earlier this week.
In the day's final at Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium, Hakuho quickly got both
hands wrapped around the newly promoted komusubi before rolling him to the dirt
with an overarm throw.
Sumo's lone yokozuna won the previous two meets with perfect 15-0 marks and is
now on a 33-bout winning streak dating back to January.
Hakuho got in a bit of hot water after admitting to gambling on ''hanafuda''
Japanese card games, but he has not been implicated in the more serious
baseball gambling ring, which is allegedly linked to Japan's criminal
underworld.
He later criticized the sumo association for going too far by deciding not to
present the coveted Emperor's Cup, or any other awards at the 15-day Nagoya
meet.
Outside the auditorium the mood was somber with a tightened police presence on
the lookout for any criminal elements and signs posted near the entrance
strictly forbidding gangsters from the premise. Inside, an announcer repeated
the same message over the PA system.
Hiroshi Murayama, who is acting chief for suspended Japan Sumo Association
Chairman Musashigawa, apologized to fans before the yokozuna performed the
ritual ''dohyo-iri'' ceremony.
''I want to apologize in place of Chairman Musashigawa from the bottom of my
heart for all of the concern we have caused the sumo fans and the people at
large who support us,'' said Murayama. ''The sumo association has come together
to make this tournament one in which we make a fresh start in reforming sumo.''
Back in the ring, veteran ozeki Kaio disposed of Russian Aran with a slap down
immediately after the face-off, while Bulgarian ozeki Kotooshu muscled out
Asasekiryu after getting both hands on his opponent's ''mawashi'' belt.
Estonian ozeki Baruto wasted little time fussing with Mongolian Hakuba,
twisting the newly promoted komusubi to the sandy surface with an arm bar
technique.
Mongolian Harumafuji was the lone ozeki casualty after he put up little
resistance and was shoved over the edge with a series of thrusts by Tochiozan.
Former ozeki Kotomitsuki was fired last week along with stablemaster Otake as
the pair was implicated in gambling on baseball.
According to the JSA, it was the first time since 1985 that there was not a
capacity crowd on the first day of the Nagoya meet.
Over a dozen wrestlers have been suspended for involvement in gambling and
public broadcaster NHK has taken the unprecedented move in deciding not to air
the meet live.
==Kyodo
