The Sumo Scene / Although not part of the Olympic calendar, the sport has a history of connections to the Games

As the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament heads towards a thrilling conclusion that will bring the curtain down on the venerable Aichi Prefectural Gym as a venue, the eyes of the world are on the biggest sporting event getting underway on the other side of the world in France.

The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris will take place on Friday, immediately after the end of the matches on the 13th day of the tournament in Nagoya.

That weekend, the sports news will be dominated by the conclusion of the championship race in Nagoya and the hope of gold medals for Japan in Paris.

Even if you include amateur sport, sumo and the Olympics are two completely different worlds, although they have crossed paths many times.

There is evidence that amateur wrestlers at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics participated in a sumo demonstration to introduce the sport to the world. Much fresher in the memory are scenes from the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics.

With the aim of promoting sumo as Japan’s national sport, the best wrestlers played a starring role in the opening ceremony in Nagano, serving as placard holders for the national delegations as they marched to the open-air stadium in freezing temperatures. What really captured the world’s attention was Yokozuna Akebono’s dynamic performance of the ring-entering ceremony.

The original plans for special events in conjunction with the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo included holding a grand sumo tournament to introduce the traditions and culture of the sport to foreign visitors attending the Games. The “Grand Sumo” tournament was to provide a golden opportunity to appeal to a broad global audience.

But as we all know, the COVID-19 pandemic postponed the Games for a year and, with no spectators allowed, related events were canceled. Grand Sumo became the tournament that never was.

Among the wrestlers, many have backgrounds in sports that are prominent for Japan at the Olympics, such as judo and wrestling. During an Olympics, the chatter in the locker rooms at sumo tournaments often focuses on what is happening at the Games, with the wrestlers displaying a remarkable amount of expertise.

I can still remember well how Yokozuna Kakuryu (now stable master Otowayama) would talk about football, basketball and other sports during his active days.

Former French President Jacques Chirac was a well-known sumo fan, often attending tournaments during trips to Japan. As the start of the Paris Olympics approaches, such thoughts came to mind as I watched the action in the ring in Nagoya.

— Kamimura is a sumo expert.