Stars of sumo head to London's Royal Albert Hall with focus on yokozuna Hoshoryu Tomokatsu and Onosato Daiki

[ad_1] They're getting by 70 kilograms of rice a day and the wholesaler has run out of noodles. Sure, Sumo returns to London on Wednesday.

It is simply the second time a Grand Match has been held outdoors of Japan - and this can be a sport that has information going again over 1,500 years.

It is 34 years for the reason that Royal Albert Corridor hosted the one earlier such occasion on overseas soil. And the urge for food for tickets meant all 5 days offered out instantly.

A lot of the main focus is on the 2 grand champions or yokozuna, the 74th and seventy fifth males to achieve the rank.

They're the Mongolian Hoshoryu Tomokatsu, plus Japan's Onosato Daiki - who this yr turned the quickest wrestler to realize the rank within the fashionable period.

<img class="sdc-article-image__item" loading="lazy" intrinsicsize="768x432" src="https://e0.365dm.com/25/10/768x432/skysports-onosato-daiki-sumo_7051122.jpg?20251014193820" srcset="https://e0.365dm.com/25/10/384x216/skysports-onosato-daiki-sumo_7051122.jpg?20251014193820 380w, https://e0.365dm.com/25/10/768x432/skysports-onosato-daiki-sumo_7051122.jpg?20251014193820 760w, https://e0.365dm.com/25/10/1600x900/skysports-onosato-daiki-sumo_7051122.jpg?20251014193820 1024w, https://e0.365dm.com/25/10/2048x1152/skysports-onosato-daiki-sumo_7051122.jpg?20251014193820 2048w" sizes="(min-width: 1024px) 1024px, 100vw" alt="Ōnosato Daiki " data-testid="article-image-image"/> Picture: Ōnosato turned sumo's seventy fifth yokozuna in Could of this yr

"I am pleased that Sumo is again after so a few years," Onosato mentioned. "I hope I can present the UK followers how unbelievable Sumo is."

"Being a yokozuna has numerous accountability," Hoshoryu advised Sky Sports activities. "We've to indicate everybody an instance of what a yokozuna is - and that is very tough.

"My uncle was a yokozuna - and I am pleased to comply with in his footsteps. However I got here right here to London as a yokozuna which he did not, so I am even happier!"

What's a yokozuna?

Yokozuna is the best rank in sumo, with its title that means ‘horizontal rope’ and refers back to the rope worn round a competitor’s waist as they enter the ring.

The 2 are already nice rivals.

On the latest Aki Basho - essentially the most prestigious event on the sumo calendar - the pair completed with an identical information after 15 days of bouts.

All of it got here right down to a remaining play-off between the 2 yokozuna - the primary time that had occurred in 16 years. It was Onosato who got here out on prime on that event.

<img class="sdc-article-image__item" loading="lazy" intrinsicsize="768x432" src="https://e0.365dm.com/25/10/768x432/skysports-hoshoryu-tomokats_7051121.jpg?20251014193654" srcset="https://e0.365dm.com/25/10/384x216/skysports-hoshoryu-tomokats_7051121.jpg?20251014193654 380w, https://e0.365dm.com/25/10/768x432/skysports-hoshoryu-tomokats_7051121.jpg?20251014193654 760w, https://e0.365dm.com/25/10/1600x900/skysports-hoshoryu-tomokats_7051121.jpg?20251014193654 1024w, https://e0.365dm.com/25/10/2048x1152/skysports-hoshoryu-tomokats_7051121.jpg?20251014193654 2048w" sizes="(min-width: 1024px) 1024px, 100vw" alt="Hoshoryu Tomokatsu of Mongolia lifts the trophy after winning the Tokyo Grand Sumo Tournament (Associated Press)" data-testid="article-image-image"/> Picture: Hoshoryu lifts the trophy after successful the Tokyo Grand Sumo Match earlier this yr Hoshoryu says he's an enormous fan of basketball and soccer. He follows Chelsea, though his favorite gamers are going again a bit: "Didier Drogba and Petr Cech. He is the 'keeper. I like this man!"

Early begins and a hearty stew: The lifetime of a rikishi The wrestlers - or rikishi - have a rigorous coaching regime. They reside in communal blocks known as stables and observe begins early. Maybe surprisingly, everybody skips breakfast. After coaching and observe - and for the youthful rikishi, chores - the wrestlers all eat collectively.

The staple of their food plan is chankonabe, a hearty stew filled with meat and greens. And the feeding of the 40 rikishi who've come over for the five-day event is a problem in itself.

Donagh Collins, the CEO of co-organisers Askonas Holt, mentioned: "We're going by 70 kilos of rice a day. Any person advised me that the wholesaler for the noodles has run out of noodles! We're actually pushing the system right here!"

The ring - or dohyo - is simply 4.55 metres in diameter and fairly small when two big wrestlers leap at one another.

The goal of the fights is to both get your opponent onto the ground - or, extra spectacularly, shove or hurl them out of the dohyo, so spectators within the ringside seats could also be getting extraordinarily up-close to the wrestlers.

<img class="sdc-article-image__item" loading="lazy" intrinsicsize="768x432" src="https://e0.365dm.com/25/10/768x432/skysports-hoshoryu-tomokatsu_7051120.jpg?20251014193540" srcset="https://e0.365dm.com/25/10/384x216/skysports-hoshoryu-tomokatsu_7051120.jpg?20251014193540 380w, https://e0.365dm.com/25/10/768x432/skysports-hoshoryu-tomokatsu_7051120.jpg?20251014193540 760w, https://e0.365dm.com/25/10/1600x900/skysports-hoshoryu-tomokatsu_7051120.jpg?20251014193540 1024w, https://e0.365dm.com/25/10/2048x1152/skysports-hoshoryu-tomokatsu_7051120.jpg?20251014193540 2048w" sizes="(min-width: 1024px) 1024px, 100vw" alt="Hoshoryu Tomokatsu reacts after winning the play-off match in the Tokyo Grand Sumo Tournament in January 2025" data-testid="article-image-image"/> Picture: Hoshoryu says he's a fan of Premier League soccer membership Chelsea The final time the event was in Britain, the large Konishki, often known as the Dump Truck, took centre stage.

The enormous Hawaiian was the heaviest-ever rikishi coming in at 287kgs - or 45 stone. That is numerous wrestler to dodge if he comes falling out of the ring in the direction of you!

The Royal Albert Corridor could also be firstly a live performance venue, nevertheless it has hosted the likes of John McEnroe, Lennox Lewis and even Muhammad Ali.