Sumo wrestling (相扑) is a national sport in Japan. Every year there are six tournaments, and millions of Japanese watch them on television. A tournament is a series of matches.
Sumo wrestling is almost as old as the nation of Japan itself. Stories say that there was sumo wrestling over 2,000 years ago. There are written records of national sumo tournaments in the 8th century.
In many sports, athletes are thin and can move very quickly. However, sumo wrestlers weigh from 100 to 160 kilograms. One famous wrestler weighed 195 kilograms. Sumo wrestlers do not move quickly, and sumo wrestling is a very slow sport.
Sumo wrestlers start hard training when they are boys. They exercise to make their bodies strong. They also eat a lot.
They wrestle in a round ring with a sand floor. A wrestler loses the match if he leaves the ring. He is also the loser if any part of his body except his feet touches the floor. Each wrestler tries to push the other down on the floor or out of the ring. Sometimes one wrestler just steps aside when the other wrestler rushes towards him. Then, the wrestler who is rushing falls down or moves out of the ring.
Sumo wrestling is not very popular in other countries, but the Japanese think that it is a very exciting sport.
