Corona and sumo

[ryafuji 811]

Reported elsewhere I know, but Mitakeumi and the rest of Dewanoumi beys have been forced to withdraw from Nagoya due to a positive COVID case at the stable. This is the first time it has happened partway through a basho and it's unclear how this will affect Mitakeumi's kadoban status. 
https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/07/1fd16006f99a-sumo-mitakeumi-forced-to-leave-nagoya-meet-after-covid-case-at-stable.html

[Seiyashi 4,072]

1 hour ago, ryafuji said:

Reported elsewhere I know, but Mitakeumi and the rest of Dewanoumi beys have been forced to withdraw from Nagoya due to a positive COVID case at the stable. This is the first time it has happened partway through a basho and it's unclear how this will affect Mitakeumi's kadoban status. 
https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/07/1fd16006f99a-sumo-mitakeumi-forced-to-leave-nagoya-meet-after-covid-case-at-stable.html

https://www.chunichi.co.jp/article/509556

It gets worse. Mitakeumi has now tested positive.

As stated in the basho thread, the hope is that he wasn't contagious up till his fight with Ichinojō. Ichinojō has tested negative for now but it's too soon IMO.

There's also the worry over which other Dewanoumi rikishi may also be positive and whether any of them were contagious during their bouts.

Edited July 16, 2022 by Seiyashi

[Akinomaki 40,053]

After Mitakeumi yesterday, today the NSK announced that Dewanoumi-oyakata has been infected with the virus. Michinoku-oyakata replaces him as Nagoya-basho responsible, so he was still doing that, while the heya went kyujo. https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOKC1712F0X10C22A7000000/

[rhyen 1,823]

Oshoma & the entire Naruto heya are also out, as Inside Sports:Japan reported in the honbasho thread.

The biggest risk right now is the Nagoya basho. Will the kyokai order a organisation wide testing? Or stonewall until they encounter exponential withdrawals of heyas?

Also given the developments in the greater Tokyo Metropolitan Area and its neighbouring prefectures, the Natsu jungyo is likely to be cancelled?

[yohcun 400]

48 minutes ago, rhyen said:

Oshoma & the entire Naruto heya are also out, as Inside Sports:Japan reported in the honbasho thread.

Good thing Oshoryu dropped off the leaderboard today.

Edited July 17, 2022 by yohcun

[Kaitetsu 277]

4 hours ago, yohcun said:

Good thing Oshoryu dropped off the leaderboard today.

He was still doing quite well for this point in the basho, if he continued with an only loss, he would go up a few rungs and have a juryo promotion attempt again, so its still not really good for him

[Nantonoyama 248]

At some point, they should stop rank protection, particularly with the end of covid bubbles. If I were a rikishi with a bad record by day 5 or 8, why not go out and try getting infected on purpose...

[Seiyashi 4,072]

16 minutes ago, Nantonoyama said:

At some point, they should stop rank protection, particularly with the end of covid bubbles. If I were a rikishi with a bad record by day 5 or 8, why not go out and try getting infected on purpose...

That's not the logic for rank protection. Rank protection is because the rikishi is benched for the sake of not infecting other rikishi, not because of COVID bubbles. As long as the policy exists to prevent rikishi from competing if they test positive, it's only fair to them to have rank protection. Whether they should still be preventing rikishi from competing, though... 

There's the perverse workaround you mentioned, but it's literally a gamble with death when you're already on a higher risk group for complications from COVID. 

Edited July 18, 2022 by Seiyashi

[rhyen 1,823]

Hanaregoma oyakata is next.

[Tsuchinoninjin 1,261]

Well most of my meetings with Japan office this week have been cancelled due to critical people getting COVID. This didn't really ever happen the last wave.

Wonder if they can really make it. Is it better to cancel on Day 14 or Day 7?

GTB entries and the kyokai are gonna need some help the next banzuke:

 

[Tiger Tanaka 222]

At this point do they have any other option than to do mass rank protection with caveat if minimal demotion/promotion if banzuke around them forces a one rank promo/demo for those that complete the basho (like Ichinojo dropping one rank).

Not an easy situation, but most importantly, hope all those affected are doing well.

[Seiyashi 4,072]

They do (or is it should?) have another option, which is to be a bit more intelligent about the rikishi that were benched. For those that have clocked KKs, they should be given credit for that especially where a division change would result, but this is going to be a lot more work than the banzuke committee may be used to doing.

[Tiger Tanaka 222]

That's true. Only those that had locked in KK or MK at time of kyujo would be fair to give promo/demo. Only will get more tricky if we see additional heya continue to go out.

[Asashosakari 18,968]

7 minutes ago, Tiger Tanaka said:

Only those that had locked in KK or MK at time of kyujo would be fair to give promo/demo.

Why? There's nothing that says that e.g. somebody who exited involuntarily with a 5-2 record can't be treated based on that win-loss differential (which would be equivalent to a 9-6), and it would certainly be no less fair than throwing out the result altogether. The only sticking point would be the joi where the schedules are highly uneven if incomplete, everybody else will have had a relatively fair crack at however many bouts they got through. Whether they'll opt to open that can of worms is a different matter, assuming they finish the basho at all at this point.

[Tiger Tanaka 222]

I guess they could? But something seems off for the lower ranks giving someone a promotion for going 2-1 and likewise demotion for 1-2

[Reonito 1,384]

10 minutes ago, Asashosakari said:

Why? There's nothing that says that e.g. somebody who exited involuntarily with a 5-2 record can't be treated based on that win-loss differential (which would be equivalent to a 9-6), and it would certainly be no less fair than throwing out the result altogether. The only sticking point would be the joi where the schedules are highly uneven if incomplete, everybody else will have had a relatively fair crack at however many bouts they got through. Whether they'll opt to open that can of worms is a different matter, assuming they finish the basho at all at this point.

This is probably what I'd do. In any case, I hope they say something and not just hold a banzuke meeting with results not announced for weeks as usual. Although I guess we'd probably be able to glean a bit of info from juryo promotions.

[Asashosakari 18,968]

10 minutes ago, Tiger Tanaka said:

I guess they could? But something seems off for the lower ranks giving someone a promotion for going 2-1 and likewise demotion for 1-2

50 years ago, but it's been done before. Check the rikishi who went 3-0, 2-1 and 1-2 there in jonidan and compare to the 5-2, 4-3 and 3-4 records around them. (0-3 was treated like 1-6, however, not like 2-5.)

[Tiger Tanaka 222]

You are incredible as always with your knowledge @Asashosakari, thanks for sharing this, very interesting!

[Seiyashi 4,072]

Well, dragging this over for housekeeping purposes:

Tamanoi and Sadogatake also out.

[Yokozuna Hattorizakura 151]

4 hours ago, Asashosakari said:

50 years ago, but it's been done before. Check the rikishi who went 3-0, 2-1 and 1-2 there in jonidan and compare to the 5-2, 4-3 and 3-4 records around them. (0-3 was treated like 1-6, however, not like 2-5.)

Do you know what the reasons were for those strange scores? Ancient banzuke are so bizarre sometimes.

[Kamitsuumi 389]

4 hours ago, Yokozuna Hattorizakura said:

Do you know what the reasons were for those strange scores? Ancient banzuke are so bizarre sometimes.

In December 1971, the Kyokai was discussed in the National Diet for its various issues (connections to the yakuza, health issues, etc), and in response the Kyokai decided to ban middle schoolers from joining. Any middle schoolers who already joined could only participate on weekends in Tokyo (3 bouts per Tokyo basho) until they graduate.

Edited July 20, 2022 by Kamitsuumi

[Kintamayama 44,646]

Asakayama and its 9 guys are out, including ex-KaioU the Oyakata. 8th heya of 43 to bow out.

Edited July 21, 2022 by Kintamayama

[robnplunder 975]

The current basho has become a farce because of all these kyujos.  Sad.

[WAKATAKE 2,644]

15 hours ago, Kamitsuumi said:

In December 1971, the Kyokai was discussed in the National Diet for its various issues (connections to the yakuza, health issues, etc), and in response the Kyokai decided to ban middle schoolers from joining. Any middle schoolers who already joined could only participate on weekends in Tokyo (3 bouts per Tokyo basho) until they graduate.

Kotokaze happened to be one of those who was limited to three bouts during his early days

[sumojoann 1,262]

39 minutes ago, robnplunder said:

The current basho has become a farce because of all these kyujos.  Sad.

"May the Farce be with You." (courtesy of Chris Sumo).