A little bit of salt, a lot of ritual proceedings and a decision taken in a matter of seconds: Sumo wrestling is something special among competitive sport diciplines – and one the the "heavyweights" of the World Games 2005. The representatives of the Sumo Federation have just come to Duisburg from Japan to help fix the organizational framework of the competitions during the World Games.

Only during last year‘s IWGA General Assembly the Sumo Federation was given full membership. Thus Sumo wrestling can become part of the official programme in 2005.


Who believes that Sumo is only practiced in Japan, is thoroughly mistaken. During the last World Games 2001 in Akita/Japan no other Sumo team was as successful as the German team. Not only for this reason the Sumo tournaments in 2005 will enjoy major popularity.


By the way: during the World Games not only the famous heavyweight classes - known from TV - will go in for the competitions. There will also be bouts in various other weight classes. And the ladies will wrestle, too: They enter the dohyo, as the ring is called correctly, in the lightweight, middleweight and heavyweight classes.