Sumo currently exists in two forms around the world. Most famous, of course, is the Tokyo-based professional sport led by yokozuna Hakuho, et al. However, the amateur version, often termed “amasumo” in abbreviated form, is of interest to many in nations that lack direct access to Japanese broadcasts.
Following almost a decade of scandals involving drugs, match-fixing and, worst of all, the hazing death of a young wrestler, the professional game has been working on cleaning up its image. The world’s amateur sumo organization, though, appears to be sinking deeper into a quagmire of its own making, as IFS (International Sumo Federation) president Hidetoshi Tanaka is currently in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.
As head of the global body, he is charged with the responsibility of eventually making amateur sumo an Olympic sport, but this month Tanaka made tabloid headlines when allegations were made of collusion with the Japanese underworld.