Sumo tournament to be held in London in 2025 | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News

The iconic Royal Albert Hall in London will be the site of an official Grand Sumo Tournament next year. It will be the first such event held outside Japan in 20 years.

The organizers of the tournament made the announcement at a news conference in London on Wednesday.

The Royal Albert Hall previously hosted a sumo tournament in 1991. That event was won by a top-ranked Yokozuna wrestler who competed under the name Hokutoumi. He has gone on to become chairman of the Japan Sumo Association and is known today as Hakkaku.

Hakkaku said: “Back in 1991, I was a sumo wrestler, so my aim was to win the tournament. But this time, coming back as chairman, the most important thing for me would be to bring Japanese tradition and culture to the British people.”

The last Grand Sumo Tournament to be held outside Japan took place in Las Vegas in 2005.

The Royal Albert Hall will be transformed into a real sumo setting for the event next October, with an authentic ring whose surface is covered with clay. Wrestlers will be competing for five days, with 20 bouts taking place each day.

Royal Albert Hall CEO James Ainscough said, “As well as it being an exciting sporting event, it’s actually going to be a great cultural moment and a time for us to come across something we don’t normally experience.”

Sumo is considered Japan’s national sport, with a history dating back 1500 years. Ainscough said the tournament will be an opportunity for Londoners to immerse themselves in its “tradition and ritual.”