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Sun Jian
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Sumo gambling scandal in Japan widens: reports
(AFP) – 54 minutes ago
Kotomitsuki is among the most high profile wrestlers caught up in the scandal
TOKYO — Dozens of sumo wrestlers in Japan are caught up in illegal gambling, reports said on Monday, in a widening scandal that threatens to further tarnish the 2,000-year-old national sport. Twenty-nine wrestlers -- one of them high-ranking -- had illegally gambled on professional baseball, Jiji and Kyodo News said, quoting the Japan Sumo Association.
Reports also say 36 others had bet illicit money on cards, golf and other pursuits, according to the sport's governing body. Last month, wrestler Kotomitsuki -- ranked highest only after the yokozuna, or grand champion -- apologised over magazine reports that he had paid hush money to gangsters who had threatened to expose the illegal bets. However, he denied illegal betting or paying any money, although the latest reports said he had backtracked on those denials.
The scandal on illegal gambling, often involving organised crime, comes only weeks after the association disciplined two of the sport's bosses for handing favours to members of a yakuza crime syndicate. Sumo, a male-only martial art based on ancient Shinto rituals, has been stalked for years by scandals, including illegal drug use, allegations of match-fixing and brutal "hazing" to toughen up young fighters. The fresh allegations come despite the sumo association's efforts to revitalise the sport, which has seen its fan base shrink in recent years in the face of the rising popularity of baseball and football.
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