Russian and Japanese national sumo teams
will meet on 4 September in Vladivostok as part of the sporting programme of
the 5th Eastern Economic Forum. The bouts of the world strongest sumotori will
grace the programme of the Russian—Japanese
Sumo House at the ‘Far East Street’ of the Forum.
«I am delighted that the sumo match between the
national teams of Japan and Russia is a part of the EEF 2019 programme. Sumo is
deeply rooted in the culture of our country and is an integral part of the
Japanese people’s lives. At that, many Russian athletes
have achieved great success in sumo. Through sumo, Russians have another
opportunity to dive into the culture and history of Japan,» Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan
to Russia Toyohisa Kozuki said.
The national teams of seven, three female
and four male athletes, from Russia and Japan will fight for the team trophy. The
world champion and three-time European champion in weights category under 115
kg Atsamaz Kaziev and silver medallist of the European Championship 2019 in the
absolute category Zaur Karaev will lead the Russian national team. The Japanese
team will be led by the country’s 2019
champions Koji Osanai (under 115 kg) and Atsushi Igarashi (over 115 kg). In
addition to the match meeting, there will be individual tournaments in the
absolute category for men and women.
The programme of the Russian—Japanese Sumo House also includes an exhibition gala
by sumotori and Huresh wrestlers from Tyva, an interactive journey into sumo
philosophy, and artistic performances.
«The tournament in Vladivostok will bring together
world sumo leaders. The presentation of our sport on global platforms as the
Eastern Economic Forum is of great importance for the development and promotion
of sumo. We are interested in expanding cooperation with the Roscongress
Foundation. At that, the Russian-Japanese Sumo House is a new venue of the Forum
to expand the dialogue between countries,» said the President of the sumo Federation of Russia
Roman Iliev.
The sumo
match between the national teams of Russia and Japan makes a debut in the Forum
programme but will be the second this year. At the first meeting that took
place on 16 June in Moscow at part of the Russian Olympic Day, Russian
