🔗 Share this article

Few sports can captivate an audience through three-quarters of an hour of ceremony before the initial score is even contested.

Yet the complex rituals unfolding in a compact earthen circle - virtually unchanged for hundreds of years - managed to do just that.

Experience the Grand Sumo Tournament

This five-day event at the iconic London venue features four dozen top-tier sumo athletes showcasing a sport whose earliest records dates back to ancient times.

London's historic performance space has been totally redesigned, complete with a elaborate suspended canopy hanging above the dohyō.

Ancient Traditions Meet Modern Technology

It is here the athletes, known as rikishi, perform their shiko exercises to banish dark forces, and where they applaud to summon the gods.

Above all this traditional ritual, a giant, revolving LED screen - that appears natural at an American basketball game - offers the audience all the data and video they could want.

Global Fans Discover Sumo

For one dedicated fan, it was a "chance online clip" that first drew her interest a couple of years ago.

This was quickly followed by the discovery of specialized online content for sumo stables, where wrestlers live and train, waking up early to work out, followed by a protein-rich meal and then an daytime sleep - all in the pursuit of increasing mass.

Traveling from the North, Different Experience

Another couple discovered sumo through a established path: a visit to the country six years ago.

"We saw it as a typical visitor experience, but we actually developed passion for the sport," explains the fan.

"Subsequently, we tried to find communities, information, just to learn more about it," adds Cezar.

Unique Chance

Going to Japan is generally the primary approach to see a major championship.

This week's event marks only the second occasion the tournament has visited the city - the previous visit was in the early nineties.

Even traveling to Asia isn't a guarantee of obtaining admission, with recent years seeing completely booked tournaments.

First-Hand Experience

For numerous spectators, the UK competition represents the premier chance they have experienced the sport directly - and it exceeds expectations.

"Seeing it up close, you get a sense of the speed and the force which you won't feel on TV," explains an attendee. "They are so big."

The Bouts

To win the match, one rikishi needs to force his opponent from the dohyō or to the surface using physical force.

The most use one of dual approaches to succeed in this, often in instantaneous actions - shoving, or wrestling.

Either way, the impact of the two athletes meeting in the opening second of the match echoes around the venue.

Premium Seating

The positions right next to the ring are of course extremely sought-after - but also, a bit risky.

During one recent bout, a 191cm wrestler went plummeting into the audience - perhaps making those in slightly cheaper seats breathe a sigh of relief.

Behind the Scenes

Of course, the dimensions of the athletes is one of the primary elements most people think of when they contemplate wrestling.

The facility's operators revealed they "needed to find and acquire reinforced furniture which can withstand 200kg in weight."

But sumo - for all its sell-out events - is not without its troubles behind the scenes.

Future Challenges

Perhaps the strict life of a sumo wrestler doesn't look as attractive as it once might have.

Its popularity among young Japanese is also being challenged by different athletic pursuits, while Japan's falling birthrate will not help.

Worldwide Following

Not that any of this has troubled spectators in London.

"Experiencing the ritual and ceremony that accompanies sumo is particularly meaningful," fan Sian says. "Currently, observing it directly, you sense that you are more involved."

For other dedicated followers, the intensity "created amazing experiences" - as did encountering the fellow enthusiasts.

"Getting out of a very niche online community and being able to observe numerous sumo fans in person and being able to chat with other people who are just as into this as we are - it was worth every penny."