Post by Deleted on Feb 4, 2011 7:16:30 GMT 10
AT LEAST three sumo wrestlers have for the first time admitted fixing matches in the latest scandal to hit the ancient sport's tarnished image, Japan's sport minister told a parliamentary panel Thursday.
Allegations that more than a dozen sumo wrestlers have traded wins or fixed fights during tournaments have rocked Japan, with Prime Minister Naoto Kan calling it an "act of betrayal" if found to be true.
Bout-rigging claims have long stalked the sport, which has its roots in Japan's native Shinto religion and dates back some 1500 years, but there has never previously been any official confession from the sumo world.
Kan's comments follow Japanese media reports that Tokyo police uncovered text messages from the cell phones of sumo wrestlers that implied they were fixing bouts.
Japanese education and sport minister Yoshiaki Takaki, who oversees the sumo industry, said the head of the Japan Sumo Association had informed his ministry that three wrestlers had confessed to fixing results.
The revelation came a day after sumo association chairman Hanaregoma, who goes by one name, apologized over claims that fighters had colluded, but stopped short of confirming the allegations.
"If there really was bout-fixing, it would be a grave act of betrayal against Japanese people," Kan told a parliamentary panel, adding that the government had urged the sumo association to launch an investigation.
On Wednesday, Japanese media reported that police had uncovered text messages on cell phones confiscated last year in a probe into illegal gambling. The messages implied many wrestlers ranked in the lower "juryo" class were fixing fights.
The Yomiuri newspaper said many juryo wrestlers are reportedly involved in the bout-rigging. Theirs is the lowest-paid rank in the sport with monthly salaries of around one million yen (US$12,300), while wrestlers ranked a notch lower are not paid.
The bout-rigging was likely a "mutual aid circle" for wrestlers who shared wins to ensure they were not relegated to a lower rank, the newspaper said.
The new allegations are the latest controversy to hit the cloistered world of a ritualistic male-only event in which contestants toss salt to purify the ring before fights.
The scandal has further shaken a nation that has seen the sport's image collapse following revelations of drug use, extortion and the 2007 death of a trainee who died after being bullied and subjected to violent initiation rites
Allegations that more than a dozen sumo wrestlers have traded wins or fixed fights during tournaments have rocked Japan, with Prime Minister Naoto Kan calling it an "act of betrayal" if found to be true.
Bout-rigging claims have long stalked the sport, which has its roots in Japan's native Shinto religion and dates back some 1500 years, but there has never previously been any official confession from the sumo world.
Kan's comments follow Japanese media reports that Tokyo police uncovered text messages from the cell phones of sumo wrestlers that implied they were fixing bouts.
Japanese education and sport minister Yoshiaki Takaki, who oversees the sumo industry, said the head of the Japan Sumo Association had informed his ministry that three wrestlers had confessed to fixing results.
The revelation came a day after sumo association chairman Hanaregoma, who goes by one name, apologized over claims that fighters had colluded, but stopped short of confirming the allegations.
"If there really was bout-fixing, it would be a grave act of betrayal against Japanese people," Kan told a parliamentary panel, adding that the government had urged the sumo association to launch an investigation.
On Wednesday, Japanese media reported that police had uncovered text messages on cell phones confiscated last year in a probe into illegal gambling. The messages implied many wrestlers ranked in the lower "juryo" class were fixing fights.
The Yomiuri newspaper said many juryo wrestlers are reportedly involved in the bout-rigging. Theirs is the lowest-paid rank in the sport with monthly salaries of around one million yen (US$12,300), while wrestlers ranked a notch lower are not paid.
The bout-rigging was likely a "mutual aid circle" for wrestlers who shared wins to ensure they were not relegated to a lower rank, the newspaper said.
The new allegations are the latest controversy to hit the cloistered world of a ritualistic male-only event in which contestants toss salt to purify the ring before fights.
The scandal has further shaken a nation that has seen the sport's image collapse following revelations of drug use, extortion and the 2007 death of a trainee who died after being bullied and subjected to violent initiation rites