How Sumo wrestlers became Japan's heaviest diplomats and made heads turn in London

Sport’s ability to unite people across borders as well as its soft power appeal makes it an effective tool of diplomacy. History, after all, is replete with examples of sport being a medium for two nations, including nuclear powers that aren’t exactly on good terms, to reach out and have a dialogue with one another. Whether it be India and Pakistan and their ‘cricket diplomacy’ or the ‘ping pong diplomacy’ that the United States had utilised to thaw relations with China back in the ‘Cold War’.

Japan might have hoped for a similar effect on their relations with the United Kingdom with a five-day sumo tournament that took place in London earlier this month and ended up becoming something of a diplomatic masterclass.

Japan’s top sumo stars make heads turn in London

The Grand Sumo Tournament, which took place at the Royal Albert Hall and featured 40 of Japan’s top wrestlers, was historic as it marked the first time an official sumo tournament had taken place outside Japan in 34 years.

The wrestlers, known as ‘rikishi’, weren’t just an attraction inside the sumo ring, known as dohyō, but managed to make heads turn ahead of the historic tournament, which showcased 1,500 years of Japanese tradition at one of the most iconic concert halls in the world.

The ‘rikishi’, after all, had gone sightseeing around London ahead of the event, visiting iconic landmarks such as the Buckingham Palace, the Abbey Road zebra crossing and even holding the famous trolley in front of Platform 9¾ at the King’s Cross Station.

The Japanese Sumo Association’s decision to host a tournament in the British capital certainly has captured the imagination of Londoners, boosting interest not just in the traditional combat sport but also in Japanese culture.

The rikishis thus, weren’t in town simply as competitors – they could be described as Japan’s heaviest diplomats who boosted the country’s soft power, without the government having to spend a single penny – or yen, to be more accurate.

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