Sumo

23 June 2010 - Sumo is a Japanese style of wrestling that is tremendously popular in the country. The Japanese simply love this centuries old sport-slash-tradition. The basic rules of Sumo are simple: the wrestler who first touches the ground with anything but the soles of his feet, or who steps out of the ring before his opponent, loses. There are no weight restrictions or classes in Sumo, so wrestlers can easily find themselves wrestling an athlete many times their own size or skills. Fights take place on an elevated arena, called the "dohyo", which is made of clay and covered with sand. Most fights only take a few seconds - or maximum a minute. At the top of the Sumo wrestlers hierarchy stands the yokozuna (grand champion). A wrestler can never lose this yokozuna status, but he is expected to retire when his performance worsens. Most elite wrestlers are highly trained and live together in what are called "stables". That may sound somewhat disrespectful for everybody non-Japanese, but the Sumo wrestlers are adored like half-Gods. Stabled half-Gods.