Sumo wrestler Asashoryu accused of paying-off opponents

The BBC is running an article about possible match-fixing at the highest ranks of sumo competition:

An investigation is under way in Japan after allegations were made that the country’s top sumo wrestler has been fixing matches.

Sumo’s Grand Champion is a Mongolian called Asahoryu who won his 20th career title recently.

Asahoryu has not made any public comment about the claims.

The allegations come from an unnamed wrestler and another man said to be connected to the Grand Champion’s training stable.

They claim, in a magazine article, that Asahoryu has been paying his opponents around $6,500 (£3,318) a match to let him win.

The Sumo Association has decided to investigate, questioning a number of wrestlers and Asahoryu’s stable-master, all of whom have denied any wrong-doing.

Next week, sumo’s bosses will discuss the claims with the six highest-ranking wrestlers, including the Grand Champion himself.

Is this just jealous opponents trying to ruin Asashoryu’s career, or a backlash against a successful foreign wrestler? If the allegations turn out to be true, it could be a serious blow to sumo, and especially to the image of foreign sumo wrestlers. Those who made the allegations might also be in for an undesirable result:

A few years ago, an academic study of corruption in the sport reported that two sumo wrestlers who made allegations of match-fixing died within hours of each other. They had dined together shortly before.

The report’s authors expressed hope at the time that their deaths had been nothing more than purely coincidental.

Just watch the news, folks. If any sumo wrestlers mysteriously die in the next week, we might have an answer.