N.Y. S.U.M.O. Challenge

[Asojima 2,365]

Barnibas Toth, Hungary, (L) and Karsten Gapp, Germany, in New York for this weekend's World S.U.M.O. Challenge. Is Barnibas related to Masutoo (Atilla Toth)?

Edited October 19, 2005 by Asojima

[Sasanishiki 57]

Yes, older brother I believe.

[Chinonofuji 35]

Article in the New York Times about The World S.U.M.O. Challenge, again focusing on eating gigantic pastrami sandwiches.

URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/19/nyregion/19sumo.html?8hpib

Enjoy. (Whistling...)

[Sasanishiki 57]

Harrington Wa'a won first place in the Open weight category of the first World Junior Championships in Tokyo, 1999. I heard an anecdote that he was destined for Ozumo but went and got some big tattoos and had some trouble with the police. This effectively sank those plans. I'm not sure if he has been doing sumo since. Oni pa'a Pa'a'aina competed in the second World Junior Championships in Tokyo, 2000.

I know that some of the European guys are definitely 'proper' amateur sumo athletes who have competed in European and World Championships (like the two Norwegians in the article). A few others sound like very large, strong guys who have been recruited from the US to fit the mould of sumo wrestlers (the Gerogian-American, for example). It will be interesting to see how good they are technically and how much training they have done.

This event is fully sanctioned by the IFS. An interesting development...

If anyone can get a copy of this tournament in its entirety or extended highlights I'd be very interested.

Edited October 20, 2005 by Sasanishiki

[Takanorappa 64]

Article in the New York Times about The World S.U.M.O. Challenge, again focusing on eating gigantic pastrami sandwiches.

URL: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/19/nyregion/19sumo.html?8hpib

Enjoy. (Whistling...)

The gent on the left is Onipa'a Pa'a'aina from Hawaii. Here's one of him without the sandwich - taken in 2003 at the Black Ships Festival in Newport, R.I.

[Takanobaka 0]

If anyone can get a copy of this tournament in its entirety or extended highlights I'd be very interested.

If I go, I'll post a report...doesn't look like I'll be able to, however.

[Kintamayama 32,779]

If anyone can get a copy of this tournament in its entirety or extended highlights I'd be very interested.

If I go, I'll post a report...doesn't look like I'll be able to, however.

(Whistling...) Which reminds me of a joke. An advertising agency put out an ad in the newspaper searching for a tall, dark, handsome muscled male for a deodorant advertisement. Many turned up for the audition. Suddenly, a 74 year old crumpled, feeble, ugly and short geezer walks in.

"What are YOU doIng here?? You don't even remotely fit any of the descriptions we asked for!!"

"Well, I just came to say that if you're considering me, forget it!!"

Edited October 20, 2005 by Kintamayama

[Bishonohana 0]

If anyone can get a copy of this tournament in its entirety or extended highlights I'd be very interested.

If I go, I'll post a report...doesn't look like I'll be able to, however.

(Annoyed...) Which reminds me of a joke. An advertising agency put out an ad in the newspaper searching for a tall, dark, handsome muscled male for a deodorant advertisement. Many turned up for the audition. Suddenly, a 74 year old crumpled, feeble, ugly and short geezer walks in.

"What are YOU doIng here?? You don't even remotely fit any of the descriptions we asked for!!"

"Well, I just came to say that if you're considering me, forget it!!"

(Whistling...) (In love...) :-) (In love...)

[Sasanishiki 57]

The official website for the event is http://www.worldsumochallenge.com. I'm just having a quick look at it now.

Most of the pictures were taken at this year's European Sumo Championships in Hungary, while there are a couple from Riesa last year. The bios include 21 names but there will probably be a few Americans added. My pick is that Emmanuel Yarborough will appear in some capacity during the event, possibly even as a competitor. It is a bit of a longshot as he has been 'retired' for a couple of years, but I wouldn't be too surprised.

Edited October 21, 2005 by Sasanishiki

[Petr 0]

It's 'the first stop on the North American sumo tour' (Gyoji...)

[Sasanishiki 57]

I haven't watched the videos as my home connection and computer are crap. I was waiting until I got to work. I had the feeling they might be cheesey...

[Kintamayama 32,779]

Articles:

http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=8&aid=54395

http://www.resourceinvestor.com/pebble.asp?relid=13908

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/st...255E663,00.html

Flabbey Road:

Edited October 22, 2005 by Kintamayama

[Naifuzan 1]

I saw a similar picture to that one in a swedish newspaper. A really small picture with a text explaining that it was sumo wrestlers on their way to the weigh-in, "dressed in their traditional mawashia-clothing".

[Jonosuke 27]

The eventual winner Mitsuhiko Fukao may be the next star of Nichi-dai Sumo Club. He is from Saitama Sakae High and placed the third in the last year's Eastern Japan University Rookie Championship.

This will be the last year of Shimoda/Yoshida/Sakaizawa trio and they should be well positioned to continue their success with Ichihara/Mori/Yamamoto next year.

Fukao will be following them. He is around 182 cm and 180 kg. They have a couple more big guys from this group but they have not shown anything yet.

[Kintamayama 32,779]

More:

http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/358444p-305399c.html

[Azumashida 1]

This will be the last year of Shimoda/Yoshida/Sakaizawa trio and they should be well positioned to continue their success with Ichihara/Mori/Yamamoto next year.

Except if one or two of the latter become amateur and/or college yokozuna this year and choose the makushita tsukedashi path to ozumo... That wouldn't be too surprising with talents like these...

Thanks a bunch for the info about this Fukao! It seems there are more and more (very)heavyweights in the college ranks (Maeta who joined ozumo this year, Sakaizawa, Yamamoto, now Fukao) or is it just my impression?

[aderechelsea 106]

scenes from the tournament but mostly from the eating was aired in the news here in Greece too ....

same thing happened for the Las Vegas tournament too ....

just hope next time they will focus less on the fat and more in the correct name pronounciation.

[Kintamayama 32,779]

Even more: Both excellent:

http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dl.../510240343/1108

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/...1122041,00.html

[Sasanishiki 57]

Nice to see some articles that consider the sport and what it is presenting rather than jus the shock of "fat guys in g-strings". I wonder if the Time article isactually longer? It seems like an online teaser to me. I would be intereseted in reading more...

The first article was pretty even handed I thought, taking the event to task when it needs to, but also taking the American reaction to sumo to task.

I found the following quote interesting: "kicking off the first North American tour of international sumo and a bid to get the sport into the Summer Olympics"

I think the two are mutually exclusive!

[Jonosuke 27]

Here's one more:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/othersports/...in_America.html

[Kintamayama 32,779]

More, with different pics:

http://tinyurl.com/79nk6

http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/features/new...0fe016000c.html

[Sasanishiki 57]

Anyone watch this live, or even on TV? Better still, anyone make a video or DVD of this?

[Chinonofuji 35]

Not sure if this pic was already posted, from Sports Illustrated / CNN.

Caption says: Peter Stayanov of Bulgaria (left) tosses Mitshuhiko Fukao of Japan out of the ring in the final round of the World Sumo Challenge at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 22. Fukao came back and won the bout.

Link: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedi...content.15.html

[Doitsuyama 1,056]

Wow, coming back from THIS position and winning the bout is stunning! Perfect use for blind gyoji emoticon! :-D

... Of course I realize they meant he still won the event after that loss. Couldn't let go of that.

[Jonosuke 27]

I still don't know what these guys are all about (I am talking about the promoters). I checked the promoter, "Big Boy Productions" as well as "Abraham and Gentile" (sounds like Moti should know these guys) on Google and did not find anything related with sumo (but I did come across a few porno sites..)

I don't know who this Lange Marketing or Champagne Tennis is other than they appear to be hired hands for makerting purposes for the event.

However they did get pretty good media coverage (like with Regis Phillibin as it was held in NYC) and even got sanctioned by the international amateur body (recruited their VP as well). Reportedly they got 8000 in MSG (what's the capacity there? Around 18,000 perhaps), I am not sure how many actually paid. They didn't appear to get any major corporate sponsors - some big Japanese heavyweights like Toshiba or JAL, the Las Vegas did.

They had almost no pre-publicity in North American Japanese media (not on TV Japan nor major Japanese papers as far as I can tell). They had none or any siginificant mention in Japanese sumo magazines, the Kyokai's site nor Japanese sports dailies.

They note that this was the first stop of their North American and World tours (I wonder this includes Japan) but they don't say when and where this event will be taking place next. Can we take them seriously? I don't know. Perhaps Akebono may be interested...

What they present seems to a rather unique way of sumo tournament. They basically have four teams vying for the title (Warrior Cup?) so each athlete belongs to one of the Four Guardians - Wrath of Heaven, Iron Mountain, Black Tiger and Shadow Jin. Check it up, I really am not making them up. But they do mention in their media package that the event should appeal to males from 8 to 48 years old and certain ethnic group without mentioning which.

It's a mixture of WWE and amateur sumo, but not sure how successful they will be. But you know whatever format they take, I think we want them to succeed. Since we know sumo, perhaps they can employ us in some capacity like officiating, record keeping, serving tea to the honchos, cleaning up rikishi toilets etc etc.

You never know our time may come yet. Today the Forum, tomorrow the World. Yes indeed :-D

Edited October 26, 2005 by Jonosuke