The Japan Sumo Association has suspended yokozuna Asashoryu from the next two grand sumo tournaments for playing soccer in his home country Mongolia after he had notified the association that he would sit out the Aug. 3-20 summer regional tour in eastern Japan (not Tokyo) because of injuries.
This is a severe punishment for a grand champion who has won 21 grand sumo tournaments. The 26-year-old yokozuna will be barred from the respective "fall" (Tokyo) and "Kyushu" (Fukuoka) meets in September and November, and take a 30 percent salary cut for four months. In principle, he must confine himself to his residence, his stable or a hospital.
The punishment fits. Asashoryu had submitted a medical report indicating that he would need at least six weeks to recover from injuries. But on Japanese television, he was shown running around on a soccer field with former Japan midfielder Hidetoshi Nakata at a Mongolian charity event. The action appeared to make light of sumo fans who cannot normally attend regular grand sumo tournaments in Tokyo and other major cities.