Tokyo Police are again investigating the whether active sumo wrestlers bet on the outcome of bouts that they fixed. This is following three other scandals around the sport. Last year, cell phones of wrestlers were confiscated after they were arrested for betting illegally on baseball games and using gangsters as middlemen. In 2009, there were allegations of widespread marijuana use that led to three Russian fighters being expounded. In 2007, a young wrestler died during a hazing incident.
As a result of the most recent scandal, broadcasters have backed out of telecasts and Japan’s prime minister said the ancient sport has betrayed the public’s trust. Though never proven to be involved in bout-fixing, gangsters have plagued the sport for decades and could be involved in the most recent gambling scandal. Two sumo wrestlers and a coach admitted to fixing bouts today after police found suspicious text messages on their cell phones. More than a dozen wrestlers and coaches have been mentioned in the scandal. All top competitors are being questioned in an internal investigation launched by the sumo association.
The scandals have been extremely detrimental to the Japanese community. Sumo wrestling traces its origins to religious purification rites. It’s seen as more than just a sport. The wrestlers are expected to maintain a high standard of public behavior. They wear their hair in topknots, similar to the samurai. They have a special status that includes government backing and tax exemptions. Those special privileges may now be rescinded.
Two TV networks have backed out of the next major tournament in March and Japan’s public broadcaster said that it might have to cancel live coverage. After confiscating the cell phones, police found 13 sumo wrestlers implicated in schemes to fix matches. One had details about how he would attack and how he wanted his opponent to fall. This match fixing became routine for the wrestlers and they charged hundreds of thousands of yen to do so.