Sumo chiefs move to beat Japan’s scorching summer heat

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Tokyo: Japan's sumo administrators are exploring reforms to shield wrestlers from the country's increasingly hot summer temperatures, including avoiding locations without air conditioning and lessening the physical demands of the annual summer tour.

Japan had its hottest summer on record last year, and temperatures have risen again this year, with some sections of the country reaching near 40°C in recent days. Fukuoka, for example, reached 40.4°C, with hundreds of monitoring locations reporting temperatures of at least 35°C.

The Japan Sumo Association announced that summer tour venues lacking proper air conditioning would be avoided in the future. This year, certain venues allegedly lacked conditioning around the ring and in wrestlers' changing rooms, forcing senior wrestlers to relocate to cooler areas.

Officials also intend to abbreviate the annual tour from approximately 90 days to around 70 days beginning next summer. Wrestlers might spend more time in the same areas and compete in two- or three-day events at adjacent venues, minimising long-distance travel and physical strain.

The modifications reflect rising worries about sumo wrestlers' health and safety, as their hard physical exertion and traditional training practices make high temperatures especially difficult. Japan records over 1,300 heat-related deaths each year, highlighting the severity of the country's deteriorating heat conditions.