For the past 20 years amateur sumo has been bidding for full and formal IOC recognition. Making its way through the IOC's various levels of acceptance, it was, according to many, doing rather well.
Its governing body, the International Sumo Federation (IFS), initially served as a unifier, bringing together people from many corners of the globe with an interest in the amateur form of the sport back in the 1990s. In recent years, though, it has done little more than polarize those competing, particularly in Europe, where the majority of amateur tournaments take place.
This all came to a head over the weekend of June 16-17 when two organizations, in separate locations, in continental Europe, held simultaneous European Sumo Championships.