🔗 Share this article

Not many athletic disciplines can captivate an audience through an extended period of ritual before the opening contest is even decided.

Yet the complex rituals unfolding in a small clay ring - virtually unchanged for centuries - accomplished exactly that.

Experience the Grand Sumo Tournament

This week-long competition at the Royal Albert Hall features 40 of the very best sumo wrestlers showcasing a sport whose initial documentation dates back to the first century BC.

London's Victorian concert venue has been utterly transformed, complete with a massive traditional roof structure hanging above the ring.

Ancient Traditions Meet Modern Technology

It is here the competitors, known as rikishi, perform their foot stomping to expel dark forces, and where they applaud to summon the gods.

Above all this traditional ritual, a giant, revolving LED screen - which wouldn't look out of place at an NBA match - offers the spectators all the data and video they could want.

Global Fans Discover Sumo

For an enthusiastic follower, it was a "random video" that first caught her attention a couple of years ago.

This was soon supplemented with the discovery of specialized online content for sumo stables, where wrestlers live and train, waking up early to practice, followed by a protein-rich meal and then an afternoon nap - all in the service of bulking up.

From Edinburgh, Another Perspective

Another couple discovered sumo through a conventional method: a visit to the country six years ago.

"We approached it as a very touristy activity, but we actually developed passion for the sport," notes the enthusiast.

"From there on, we tried to find communities, resources, just to deepen our understanding about it," the other fan explains.

Special Event

Visiting the homeland is generally the primary approach to see a top-flight sumo tournament.

This London competition marks only the second instance the tournament has visited the city - the initial occasion was in 1991.

Even going to Japan doesn't ensure of obtaining admission, with current times seeing fully attended competitions.

First-Hand Experience

For many attendees, the UK competition represents the premier chance they have watched sumo in person - and it lives up to the hype.

"Observing directly, you get a feeling of velocity and the strength which you won't feel on TV," says Caspar Eliot. "They are so big."

The Competition

To achieve victory, one rikishi needs to push another out of the ring or to the ground using brute strength.

The majority use one of dual approaches to accomplish this, often in split seconds - thrusting, or clenching.

Either way, the sound of the two rikishi colliding in the opening second of the match reverberates around the hall.

Front Row Positions

The cushions right next to the ring are of course highly prized - but also, somewhat dangerous.

During one particular match, a 191cm wrestler went plummeting into the spectators - perhaps making those in slightly cheaper seats experience comfort.

Organizational Issues

Of course, the stature of the rikishi is one of the first things most people consider when they consider the sport.

The hall's organizers revealed they "were required to locate and purchase additional seating which can withstand 200kg in weight."

But sumo - for all its successful competitions - is not without its troubles behind the scenes.

Potential Issues

Perhaps the strict life of a professional athlete doesn't look as desirable as it once might have.

Its appeal among youth in Japan is also being competed with by different athletic pursuits, while Japan's declining population will not help.

Global Community

Not that any of this has troubled spectators in London.

"Witnessing these custom and formality that is part of sumo is especially significant," one enthusiast notes. "Currently, observing it in person, you experience being you are more involved."

For other committed supporters, the excitement "made it so incredible" - as did interacting with the like-minded individuals.

"Emerging from a very niche online community and being able to witness multiple sumo fans directly and being able to converse with other people who are similarly enthusiastic as we are - it was completely valuable."