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Sumo’s ruling body
considers women

Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) - The Japan Sumo Association, beset by a bout-fixing scandal and charges of sexism, said Tuesday it may allow women to join its governing body for the first time in its 50-year history.

The male-only sport is considering adding as many as two women this year to an eight-member committee that recommends promotions to sumo's top rank, said a spokesman on condition of anonymity. Appointees serve between two and 10 years, he said.

The decision to allow women to join the ultra-conservative group follows a nagging scandal over alleged match-fixing and a controversy earlier this year about its ban on women in the ring.

The ancient sport, which has its roots in Japan's native Shinto religion, has been declining in popularity because some critics charge it has failed to adapt to modern Japanese society.

Sumo, which traces its roots back some 2,000 years, is fought one-on-one by wrestlers trying to push each other down or out of an elevated clay ring.

The ring is considered sacred ground, and sumo's ruling body has refused to allow women into it because Shinto belief holds that women are impure.

The association in February refused to let Fusae Ota, Japan's first female governor, present an award to the winner of a local tournament. Ota eventually sent a man to present the award, but urged sumo officials to work toward equality.

In January, former wrestler Keisuke Itai announced that many bouts had been fixed and that he had intentionally lost matches. The Japan Sumo Association denied the charges.

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