July Tournament Day 7 - GRAND SUMO Highlights
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NHK
20 hours ago
- NHK
July Tournament Day 12 - GRAND SUMO Highlights
NHK WORLD-JAPAN presents a sumo highlights program for fans around the globe. Today the show features all top-division bouts from July 24, Day 12 of the Grand Sumo Tournament in Nagoya.
Japan Times
2 days ago
- Japan Times
Barcelona cancels friendly against Vissel Kobe, citing contractual breaches
Barcelona has canceled a preseason friendly against Vissel Kobe, citing contractual breaches by the promoter, while their two scheduled friendlies in South Korea are also at risk of suspension, the club said. The La Liga champion was scheduled to play Vissel on Sunday in Kobe, and to play South Korea's FC Seoul on July 31 and Daegu FC on Aug. 4. "Barcelona announces that it has been obliged to suspend its participation in the game scheduled for next Sunday in Japan due to serious contractual breaches on behalf of the promoter," Barca said in a statement on Wednesday. "Nevertheless, the club will consider readjusting the leg of the summer tour in South Korea," it said, "if certain conditions are met by the promoter. "If these conditions are met, then the club will travel to South Korea in the coming days. Barcelona regrets this incident and the impact it will have on the many, many Barca fans in Japan." In a statement on Thursday, Vissel Kobe apologized to fans. "We sincerely apologize for any concern this may cause to the many fans and related parties who were looking forward to this match," the J1 club said. "Our club is working in collaboration with relevant parties to gather necessary information and take appropriate measures." Barcelona did not identify the promoter in its statement, but when the tour was first announced it had named them as the Yasuda Group. Reuters has contacted the group for comment. The promoter for matches in South Korea, D-DRIVE, said on Thursday they wanted to make the remainder of the tour a success. "To our fans in Korea: please rest assured — D-DRIVE remain fully committed to making the rest of the tour a success. We will continue to do our utmost to deliver unforgettable matches," D-DRIVE CEO Seul Ham said in a statement.
Japan Times
3 days ago
- Japan Times
Disappointing start to Nagoya tournament turns into fascinating final stretch
Ten days into the ongoing Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament and Ichiyamamoto — a 31-year-old journeyman who hasn't posted more than 8 wins in a basho since 2023 — stunningly led the race for the Emperor's Cup going into Wednesday's bouts. Coming off back-to-back losing records — with the most recent being a 5-10 outing in May — no one could have predicted such a hot start for the Chuo University graduate. The big question, of course, is whether or not Ichiyamamoto can keep his title charge going over the meet's final third, and become the 12th first-time champion to be crowned since January 2020. Given that he hasn't had to face any of the 16 highest-ranked men over the tournament's first ten days, the answer to that question is 'probably not.' Sumo's schedule makers will almost certainly ensure that if Ichiyamamoto is going to taste glory for the first time, he'll have to do it the hard way. And while he might have sole possession of first place at the two-third mark, a single-win lead over a chasing pack — including former ōzeki Kirishima, three-time champion Mitakeumi, ageless ironman Tamawashi along with rising stars Aonishiki and Kusano — isn't very secure. With newly crowned yokozuna Onosato also just one win further back, it's far more likely that the Emperor's Cup ends up claimed by one of his pursuers than by Ichiyamamoto himself. But even if he ultimately fails in his quest for silverware, Ichiyamamoto has been a bright spot in a tournament where fans' hopes for something not seen in years were almost immediately extinguished. Following Onosato's promotion to sumo's highest rank earlier this summer, everyone in the sport was looking forward to a first title showdown between yokozuna since March 2020. Those hopes were quickly dashed when Hoshoryu suffered three straight losses from the second day and had to withdraw from the tournament due to injury. It was an unfortunate turn of events that means the 26-year-old grand champion will now finish his first three basho as a yokozuna with a record of 18 wins, 12 losses and 15 absences. That's not what anyone involved in sumo wants to see, and the sooner Hoshoryu gets back into action and wins a first title as a yokozuna the better — not just for his own career and legacy, but the sport as a whole. On the other side of the banzuke, Onosato has, by his own lofty standards, not been having a great tournament either. Three losses in 10 bouts doesn't rule him out of title contention by any means, but the sport's biggest star will need to recapture the form shown over the past few months if he is to claim a third straight championship. But even should Onosato lose one or two more matches, it wouldn't be a cause for concern as the first tournament after promotion to yokozuna is notoriously difficult for wrestlers — particularly younger ones — to do well in. With both yokozuna far from their best, there is a bigger window of opportunity for the aforementioned pack currently chasing Ichiyamamoto. Aonishiki (left) beats Oshoma by oshidashi at IG Arena on Saturday. | JIJI Aonishiki's incredible rise continues unabated with the 21-year-old from Ukraine looking like one of the most accomplished wrestlers in the sport despite only having joined professional sumo two years ago. Just three tournaments into his top division career he is making a 2024 column — which was described at the time as far too optimistic — now look understated. Aonishiki is in the opposite situation to Ichiyamamoto. He has won eight of his first 10 bouts while facing only the highest ranked men in the sport. Everyone that he will be matched up with across the final five days will be of a lower rank. In theory that gives the former refugee, who fled to Japan to escape war in his home country, the inside track to the Emperor's Cup. The mental side of sumo is arguably the most important, however, and being in such a high pressure situation at such a young age will be testing. If Aonishiki can hold his nerve in the spotlight it will create another chapter in what is fast becoming one of sumo's most fascinating stories. In his favor is the fact that all the other main title challengers will have tougher run-ins and are likely to drop bouts to each other. Should Onosato not turn things around, it appears as if Kusano and Kirishima are the main barriers to an Aonishiki championship. Kusano, who is making his top division debut, is currently riding a four-month hot streak. The Nihon University graduate reached sumo's highest tier on the back of consecutive jūryō division titles — something that prompted Hiro Morita, longtime NHK announcer and face of the Japan Sumo Association's English-language YouTube channel, to predict an Emperor's Cup win for the rookie in Nagoya earlier this month. Given that, when Takerufuji managed that exact feat in March 2024 he became the first debutant to win the title in over a century, Morita's prediction seemed outlandish at the time. Ten days later that's not the case, and Kusano has a viable path to history over the next five days if he can keep his hot streak going. Kirishima, meanwhile, not only has legitimate hopes of claiming a third title but also an outside chance of making it back to ōzeki should he do so. With a perfect run-in for the veteran adding up to a combined 32 wins over three tournaments — it's a score that would appear to be slightly short of the oft-cited mark of 33. That's not an official guideline, however, and sumo has just one ōzeki currently. A third Emperor's Cup for a former ōzeki could swing things in Kirishima's favor. However things turn out, a tournament that started in a disappointing manner heads into the final stretch with a range of exciting possible outcomes.
