With the spread of the new coronavirus, Nihon Sumo Kyokai plans to make a final decision on whether to hold the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament from March 8 in the usual manner, hold it with no spectators or cancel the event.
The decision will be made at the association's extraordinary board meeting on March 1. Association executives and stablemasters in charge of the spring tournament to be held at Edion Arena Osaka were busy dealing with the matter on Tuesday.
Stablemasters and others on the association's executive board discussed their policies in Osaka. The association previously said preparations were underway to hold the tournament as scheduled. But stablemaster Oguruma (former ozeki Kotokaze), the second-highest ranking official of the association, told reporters the association is considering three options: Holding the event as usual; holding it with no spectators; or canceling it. "We'll have no choice but to cancel the tournament if even one member of the association or a sumo wrestler is found [to have become infected with the virus]," he said. But Oguruma denied that they would postpone the event.
Stablemaster Shibatayama (former yokozuna Onokuni), the association's public relations director, said, "There are various requests from the government. We'll see how things develop and decide what to do with the tournament in a week's time."
On Tuesday, a regular meeting of sumo wrestlers in the juryo division or above was also held, with many of them wearing masks. The association instructed them to take thorough measures to prevent infection and to refrain from going out when not necessary. It also told them to refrain from having contact with fans, including shaking hands with them.
Yokozuna Hakuho said: "It's hard to determine things since we cannot see [the virus]. We have no choice but to practice with a strange kind of tense feeling."
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