A sumo wrestler in Japan said he had "no choice" but to quit the sport after his request to skip a tournament for fear of catching coronavirus was rejected. The 22-year-old known as Kotokantetsu said the Japan Sumo Association had insisted he fight in the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament, which began on Sunday and lasts 15 days. It has gone ahead in front of a reduced crowd despite at least six wrestlers including record-breaking champion.
State of Emergency Officially Declared in Tokyo 01/07/21
(ATR) Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared a state of emergency for the Tokyo metropolitan area on Thursday evening with 197 days to go until the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony.
State of emergency announced 197 days until the Opening Ceremony for Tokyo 2020. (ATR)
The anticipated announcement followed the news of another record-breaking number of new coronavirus cases in the capital and across the host country of the delayed Olympiad.
On Thursday Japan reported over 6,000 new cases with Tokyo reporting 2,447, a single-day record – up from 1,591 the previous day - with the hospitals now feeling the strain of the third wave as medical experts had predicted a New Year spike in cases.
Ozeki Takakeisho suffered an upset Monday against rank-and-file opponent Daieisho as he opened the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament with back-to-back losses.
New Year Basho could be called off if more test positive for virus Sorry, but your browser needs Javascript to use this site. If you re not sure how to activate it, please refer to this site: https://www.enable-javascript.com/
A ring purification ceremony is held on Saturday ahead of Sunday s start of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament at Tokyo s Ryogoku Kokugikan. | KYODO
Kyodo Jan 10, 2021
The New Year Grand Sumo Tournament could be canceled if wrestlers continue to become infected with the novel coronavirus, the tournament’s chief organizing official said Saturday after five more wrestlers tested positive for the virus.