Sumo! Sumo!. Review on Sumo Wrestling

Fat men in nappies you may think, but this a hugely exciting sport for me and many other people from around the world. It is everything that sport usuallly isn't, honourable, kind and great for providing you with the feeling of being dumped onto the gravel by a 700lb giant. This is what sport ought to be, sport without the hooliganism of soccer, the Glen McGrath and Ricky Ponting shouting at everyone ism of cricket or the sheer tediousness of other sports such as American Football and Golf.

I was first enticed into the sumo trap when I caught an summer basho in June 2001 and have been hooked by it ever since. The thing which struck me was the athleticism of the competitors, that despite being 700lbs, about 450 lbs of that is sheer force in the shape of huge muscle systems. These men arethe rock stars of Japan and live in the lap of luxury, dining grandly (well, they'd have to!) and achieving national fame only shared by the likes of Rahul Dravid, Tiger Woods and Zinedine Zidane.

However, they know that this fame has a price. Many suffer from injuries and illnesses such as arthritis and diabetes, mainly due to the diet of the average sumo wrestler and the high amount of fatty foods they need to eat to get to that level. This causes a great number of unfortunate early deaths amongst the sumo clan and puts off many people from partaking in the sport.

My favourite wrestlers are the sideburned Toki and the massive Hawaiian Musharimu. Both are extremely feared and on their day can beat anybody.

So... give Sumo a go. You might like it.