Selected Columns

A third-party panel's recommendation that the Japan Sumo Association (JSA) appoint an acting chairman to manage the upcoming tournament has undoubtedly humiliated Chairman Musashigawa and other high-ranking members of the association.

The appointment of a deputy is a precondition that the panel demanded for going ahead with the July Grand Sumo Tournament in Nagoya.

The head of the association had never been treated with such disregard. The panel made the recommendation on top of its demand that eight ranking wrestlers including Ozeki Kotomitsuki, who's at the center of the illegal gambling scandal, and five in the second-tier juryo division withdraw from the next tournament.

Furthermore, the committee ordered more than 10 stablemasters, including JSA Chairman Musashigawa, not to attend the tournament in Nagoya. These stablemasters account for over one-fourth of the heads of all 51 sumo stables.

Stablemasters had heretofore gone virtually unquestioned in the sumo world.

The committee, which has conducted a survey on all of about 1,000 JSA members, had declared that it would settle the issue before the Nagoya tournament in a bid to ensure the tournament will be held. Nevertheless, the committee is poised to place the association under its surveillance even after the tournament.

At a news conference on Sunday, Waseda University professor Shigeru Ito, who heads the panel, declared that it will set up a third-party JSA reform committee prior to the autumn tournament. He also suggested that the reform panel will even review the association's traditional systems, such as qualifications to be appointed as stablemasters and JSA board members.

The panel has decided to leave punitive measures against Ozeki Kotomitsuki to the discretion of the JSA, even though Ito had earlier said the wrestler should be dismissed. No yokozuna or ozeki has ever been dismissed in sumo history.

In contrast, the association has urged that stablemaster Otake be expelled from the association for his role in the scandal.

Sumo enthusiasts are paying close attention to how the association will respond to the fact-finding panel's recommendations. (By Shinichi Oya, Sports News Department)