The Japan Sumo Association said Monday it will move to expel ozeki Kotomitsuki for betting on pro baseball games and ax stablemaster Otake for borrowing vast sums from the wrestler to pay his own gambling debts.
An executive board of the association — the sport's governing body — meanwhile said the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament will start July 11 as scheduled, after the association accepted conditions laid out by a special oversight panel investigating the illegal gambling rocking the national sport.
NHK, the only broadcaster to televise sumo, said it will decide Sunday whether to follow through with a threat not to cover the Nagoya tournament, which has already seen its top sponsor pull out.