Sumo, the ancient Japanese wrestling sport in which huge athletes weighing more than 40 kilos (265 kg) compete in the ring, is facing a health crisis.
The number of fighters withdrawing from fall events has reached double digits and top fighters have succumbed to injuries and health problems.
Dozens of fighters have withdrawn from this season’s events for a host of conditions ranging from excessive sweating, respiratory problems, joint diseases, diabetes complications and more.
Titans of the sport, such as Takakeisho, 28, former holder of sumo’s second-highest rank, have been forced to retire after suffering foot, knee and neck injuries.
The crisis has sparked calls in some corners for the sport to modernize quickly and take steps such as imposing weight limits and increasing medical involvement in training.
Terunofuji (left) and Takakeisho (right) are two sumo titans who recently stepped away from the sport due to health issues in Takakeisho’s case permanently. The pair appear here in a fight in 2021.
Unlike boxing, sumo has no weight divisions, meaning that as long as a fighter can still compete, they are incentivized to pack on the pounds to better dominate the opposition.
But this can come at a cost to your health.
Sumo great Terunofuji is also out of action as diabetes makes it difficult to recover from injuries he previously suffered in the ring.
The times His stable leader, Isegahama, was reported to have said: ‘He has not been able to exercise due to his knee problems. If you can sweat, your blood sugar will go back down.
Japanese media has also included a number of other sumo wrestlers, technically called rikishi, who had to retire due to a series of health problems.
Commentators have warned for years that sumo is facing a growing health crisis with athletes competing for longer and getting heavier over time.
In the 1950s, the average rikishi was comparatively ranked 17th (110kg), but has since expanded to 25th (160kg).
But this is an average, some fighters have weighed a colossal 42º (265 kg) and some fighters consumed 10,000 calories per day, five times the amount recommended for the average man.
Takayasu, seen here wearing a red loincloth, called a mawashi, is another wrestler who has been forced to withdraw from the fall season due to back problems.
According to the BMI system, a score of 18.5 to 25 is healthy. A score of 25 to 29 counts as overweight, and more than 30 means that a person is obese, a stage at which the chances of getting sick skyrocket.
This has sparked calls for reform. One of them is sumo coach Takehiko Daiguji, who said: “I think a sumo wrestler’s BMI should be between 40 and 43, so it’s a good idea to have a rule that says it can’t exceed 45.”
“Anything more than that puts them at greater risk for injury.”
BMI, or body mass index, is a calculation that uses weight, height, and some basic demographic information, such as gender and ethnicity, to determine whether a person is a healthy weight.
While some doctors have said the system is flawed, it is generally considered a good overall indicator of obesity in public health.
A BMI score of 18.5 to 25 is healthy. A score of 25 to 29 counts as overweight, and more than 30 means that a person is obese, a stage at which the chances of getting sick skyrocket.
Therefore, even limiting rikishi to a BMI of 45 would still be well above what is generally recommended for good health, although wrestlers typically have more muscle than a non-athlete with the same BMI.
It would disqualify a lot of current athletes. For example, the recently retired Takakeisho measured 5 feet 8 inches (175 cm) and 26 (165 kg), a BMI just shy of 54.
Others have said sumo should move away from some of its traditional elements and collaborate with nutrition and modern sports medicine experts.
John Gunning, sumo correspondent The times of Japan recently wrote: ‘In 2024, it is incongruous to see professional sumo wrestlers still devouring heavy meals high in sodium and processed sugar at all hours of the day and night.
He added: “While the use of gyms and weight training has increased, it is often ad hoc with no scientific basis for the exercises being performed.”
Obesity has been shown to increase the risk of multiple serious health conditions that can damage the heart, such as high blood pressure, as well as cancer.
Being too fat is estimated to cause one in 20 cases of cancer in Britain, according to Cancer Research UK.
