Posted at 6:46 a.m., Saturday, December 22, 2007
Sumo: First exhibition matches planned for Mongolia
Associated Press
TOKYO — Top sumo wrestlers will hold a tour of Mongolia — the country that has produced two grand champions — next August, according to a news report.The Japan Sumo Association will hold exhibition matches in Ulan Bator during a five-day trip to the country in August, Kyodo News agency reported late Friday.
It would be the first time exhibitions would be held in Mongolia, according to Kyodo. Wrestlers have visited countries such as the U.S. and Israel.
The two current grand champions, Asashoryu and Hakuho, are from Mongolia.
Asashoryu returned to Japan late last month vowing to clean up his act and restore his image after a two-month hiatus in Mongolia.
In July, he received a two-tournament ban and a pay cut for playing a charity soccer match in Ulan Bator while skipping an exhibition sumo tournament in Japan. He claimed he was injured.
It was one of the harsher punishments ever meted out to a grand champion. He will return to the next major tournament in January.
Officials at the association were not available Saturday.
"It would be great to step into the raised ring in my home country. I hope for the success of the tour," Asashoryu was quoted as saying by Kyodo.
