11 Sumo Wrestlers Involved In (Text-Only) Text Message Controversy

Wrestlers and stablemasters in the Japan Sumo Association (JSA) have long been suspected of match-fixing, but now there might be some textual messages to prove it. Let's hope this doesn't all trace back to a stubby-finger typo.

The JSA is responding to emails and text messages between 13 wrestlers and stablemasters, which allegedly arranged for match results to be bought and sold for hundreds of thousands of yen, or several thousand US dollars.

Hanaregoma, chairman of the JSA, said that if the allegations are true, "it's a betrayal of sumo fans...It would be something that rocks (sumo) to its foundation." How quaint, right? A sports culture that is actually surprised by its own controversy?

Sumo-Japan Sumo Association to investigate possible match-fixing [Yahoo EuroSport] Texts pointing to bout-fixing rock sumo [Japan Times]