0078 Sumo Cheating

A typical sumo bout lasts, oh, about 10 seconds. That’s roughly how long it takes one mountain of a man to push another one out of the designated circle. And so you have to ask yourself how is there even time to fix a match? But that’s the accusation sumo fans are leveling at Asashoryu, bad boy defending champion of Japan’s national sport. Asashoryu has already been criticized for being rude – he pulled another wrestler’s topknot! – and foreign – he's Mongolian – but this accusation is the foulest of all. A reporter alleges that Asashoryu paid his opponents $6500 to throw the fights. The Japanese Sumo Association denies it, but there is some suggestion that the association itself might be involved. That’s pretty heavy. Pun intended. #ceas #japan #tsutsui