A feud between sumo siblings is taking on the proportions of a royal scandal in Japan.
Retired grand champions Wakanohana and Takanohana stood side-by-side at their father's funeral service on Thursday, but there was little brotherly love between the two former wrestlers.
The passing of sumo elder Futagoyama has done little to resolve a cold war that exists between his two famous sons, who have long held philosophical differences over Japan's ancient sport and their place in it.
On Friday, Japan's sports newspapers and afternoon talk shows treated the spat as if it were a political scandal of utmost importance. Everyone from former sumo greats to famous actors weighed in on the "Waka-Taka" rift.
"At a time like this I wish they were making efforts to get along," actor Hayato Tani, who attended Thursday's service, told reporters.
In their prime, the two brothers were the darlings of Japan when they rose to the top of the sumo world in the 1990s and sparked a renaissance in a sport that was struggling at the gate.
Their careers took vastly different paths when they retired from sumo.
The younger Takanohana, whose real name is Koji Hanada, is considered one of the greatest wrestlers in sumo history, winning 22 Emperor's Cups in the elite division, fourth on the all-time list.
When Takanohana retired in 2003, he became a sumo elder and sought to recapture the past glories of the stable he took over from his father, who rose to sumo's second highest rank of ozeki a decade earlier.
Wakanohana, who had a less-successful career as a grand champion, also became a sumo elder after his retirement but has since left the sport and has taken up a career as a TV commentator.
"We're not on speaking terms these days," Takanohana said after his father's funeral. "People want us to get along but I'm afraid that's impossible."
Takanohana considered he should be the chief mourner at his father's funeral because Wakanohana had officially severed ties with sumo.
But that honor went to the older Wakanohana, who made an emotional speech while his younger brother stood by with a stern look on his face.
"I would like him to realize what his public position is," Takanohana told reporters. "He has quit sumo circles and it is not a polite thing to do for the sumo elders attending the service."
An “outstanding” 17-year-old Chinese badminton player died of cardiac arrest after collapsing on court during a tournament in Indonesia, officials said yesterday. Zhang Zhijie was playing a match late Sunday against Japan’s Kazuma Kawano at the Badminton Asia Junior Championships in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The score was 11-11 in the first game when Zhang fell to the floor between points. The teenager received treatment at the venue and was rushed to hospital in an ambulance, but passed away later that night after repeated efforts to resuscitate him failed. “Medical conclusions ... indicated that the victim experienced sudden cardiac arrest,” Broto Happy, spokesman for
Taiwan’s men’s national basketball team is set to upgrade its depth in the paint after signing Brandon Gilbeck of the P.League+’s Formosa Dreamers to a naturalized player’s contract. The 27-year-old big man from the US landed in Taoyuan early on Monday, where he was welcomed by Chinese Taipei Basketball Association deputy secretary-general Chang Cheng-chung. The two signed the deal, which still has to be approved by the Sports Administration and the Ministry of the Interior. Chang said he is confident that “the proceedings would go smoothly.” If approved, Gilbeck would become the third naturalized basketball player in Taiwan, following the New Taipei Kings’ Quincy
A buzz of excitement crackled through the hushed arena as the rider gripped the reins of her stuffed steed. Welcome to the strangely exacting world of hobby-horsing, the Finnish sport guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Immaculately coiffed equestrians leap athletically over fences just like in horse jumping, going as fast as they can against the clock straddling their stick steeds. Things are more stately in the dressage, with riders trotting their stick horses with intricately decorated stuffed heads before the discerning eyes of the judges. About 260 riders from 22 countries — most women and girls aged 10 to 20 —
Taiwan is to have two pairs vying for the women’s doubles at the Olympic Games’ tennis event in Paris as Chan Hao-ching and her older sister Latisha Chan officially clinched their third straight Olympic berth, the national tennis association said on Thursday. The International Tennis Federation on Wednesday evening confirmed the Chan sisters’ qualification for the event, meaning they would join the duo of Hsieh Su-wei and Tsao Chia-yi to compete in the Olympics. There are 16 entries in each doubles event. Hsieh, ranked No. 2 in the world on the Women’s Tennis Association doubles rankings as of Monday, secured her slot earlier,