Sumo is a Japanese kind of wrestling and Japan's national sport. It originated in ancient times as religious performances to the Shinto gods. Nowadays, still many rituals are followed. In contrast to American sports, winners rarely show emotion in ictory and the legions of bettors in Las Vegas didn’t show any emotion, either.

The basic rules of sumo are simple: The wrestler who either first touches the floor with something else than his sole or leaes the ring before his opponent, loses. The fights themseles usually last only a few seconds and in rare cases up to one minute or more.

They practiced a series of mandatory rituals (dohyo-iri) such as clapped their hands, which, according to ancient sumo tradition, is said to grab the attention of the gods. The stone-faced competitors raised a leg and stomped the ground, which is supposed to chase eil spirits from the ring. The throwing of sea salt purifies the ring.

Then sumo opponents squat in front of each other for a stare-down, one on the East and the opponent on the West side of the ring. The stare-down, stomping and salt-throwing can carry on for minutes. But once a match is under way, it is often over in a matter of seconds.

The sumo wrestlers fire off the line and lunge at each other. It is a iolent explosion of flesh colliding, often accompanied by a loud slapping sound.

Small sumos with superior technique often defeat their bigger foes. Some sumos win by pushing their opponents out of the circle. Others lift or hurl them out of the circle.

Six tournaments are held every year. Each one lasts 15 days. Three of the tournaments are held in Tokyo, and one each in Fukuoka, Osaka and Nagoya.

At the top of the sumo wrestlers' hierarchy stands the yokozuna. At the moment, there is only one yokozuna, Asashoryu from Mongolia. Once a wrestler reached the rank of yokozuna, he cannot lose it anymore. However, he is expected to retire as soon as his results are starting to worsen.

Most elite wrestlers are highly trained athletes and betweven about 20 to 35 years old. Besides working out, the wrestlers are eating large amounts of food and go to bed right after eating in order to gain mass. The wrestlers are liing in special sumo stables where the rules are ery strict, especially for beginners.

Picture: Asashoryu threw sea
salt to purify the dohyo