In an effort to combat long-standing issues over gamesmanship at major global tournaments, the International Sumo Federation (IFS) and Japan Sumo Federation (JSF) this month introduced significant changes to the rules governing sumo’s all-important tachiai (initial charge).

In the intro to a 10-minute video released to national governing bodies, Kazuo Saito, chairman of the JSF competition committee said, “Lately we have been seeing a lot of disordered tachiai and bad manners, particularly at international tournaments. In order to comply with the rules and protect the dignity of the sport, we will thoroughly implement tachiai in accordance with the council regulations at all tournaments from April 2024.” Staged examples of behaviors that will no longer be tolerated — and demonstrations of the new flow of proceedings — followed, with the new guidelines mostly analogous to current practices, but with one key difference.

Beginning this month, in-ring referees will add a new phrase — hikimasuyo (translated as “get ready”) once both wrestlers have their hands down, before starting the bout with a traditional shout of hakkeyoi.

There is also an emphasis on wrestlers putting both hands down at the same time and most importantly, the introduction of sanctions, including disqualification, for those that fail to follow the new guidelines.

In an April 9 email, the IFS stated that a warning from the chief referee will be the initial punishment for noncompliance. If the wrestler still does not follow instructions, the referee can, after deliberation with other officials, declare a forfeit and award the win to the wrestler’s opponent. That’s a significant change, but one that’s long been called for by many in the sport.

Over the past two decades, numerous amateur tournaments have been bogged down by time-wasting, with athletes and coaches from certain countries clearly and deliberately engaging in gamesmanship in order to gain a competitive edge.

Common examples of poor behavior by wrestlers have included ridiculously long delays in putting hands down on the clay, suddenly standing up without reason after coming set, wandering around the ring with a back turned to the opponent and talking to coaches near the ring.

Previously, no matter how frustrated opponents grew, how stridently officials complained or how loudly spectators booed, there was simply no incentive for repeat offenders to refrain from using tactics that they felt were producing wins and earning medals.

That led to tournaments overrunning their allotted times, bored fans and athletes who felt penalized for following the rules.

In short, it was a situation that had to change.

While authorities finally addressing the issue has been widely welcomed, the manner of the change has caused some confusion.

A common thread when speaking to amateur athletes around the world is puzzlement over the introduction of an additional step between both wrestlers having their hands down and the start of a bout.

Many said that requiring the referee to say hikimasuyo would increase the number of false starts — at least initially — while most felt that it was an unneeded addition that served no purpose.

Most foreign wrestlers' introduction to the sport comes via professional sumo — where athletes, rather than officials, start bouts — and the heavy handed nature of amateur sumo's tachiai can chafe at those who wish to emulate the stars of the sport.

The change is already in effect and some have begun working to ensure its smooth implementation.

JJ Jones, director of the 2024 United States Sumo Federation National Championships — which doubles as qualifiers for the World Championships in Poland later this year — has been running joint practices between Californian sumo clubs in an effort to get everyone up to speed.

Jones said the new rules “affect our nationals immediately. Also when (U.S. athletes) get to the Worlds, I want to make sure that it’s not foreign to them so every match we had we practiced with the new rules.” Jones believes the new changes will require coordination not only from wrestlers but also officials.

“It takes three to tango. The two athletes have to understand the rules, but also the referee to know to take your time. If you don’t take your time then you are going to be inconsistent and that’s going to be a hurdle in itself.” It’s something that had led Jones to look for experience ahead of the U.S. nationals, with every member of his officiating crew being well-known, seasoned veterans, such as John Jacques, Tom Zabel and Dan Kalbfleisch.

Even with top level referees, Jones explains that there is going to be an adjustment period as vagueness regarding sequence timing in the new rules will inevitably lead to inconsistent application. “At worlds you’ll get referees that want you to go at the end of hakkeyoi. There are a couple (who) are very particular about that, and then you have others that are fine at the ‘ha.’” While it will be later in the year before we can judge how effective amateur sumo’s attempt to stamp out gamesmanship and time-wasting is, the U.S. nationals will showcase its application in a major tournament for the first time.

If the history of sport is anything to go by it could take time to iron out the wrinkles.

Rugby, football, Formula One, soccer and athletics are just some of the sports that have tweaked rules around starts and restarts in recent decades with varying degrees of success. In the NFL, false start penalties are still, by far, the most common infringement.

Getting the rules right in sports where microseconds separate winners and losers is never easy, but if the new IFS directives eliminate or reduce a problem that has plagued amateur sumo for decades, April 2024 could be the start of something wonderful.