Grand champion Harumafuji admitted to assaulting lower-ranked competitor Takanoiwa during an alcohol-fueled brawl when questioned on the matter by a Japan Sumo Association crisis management panel Sunday, a senior association official said. Kagamiyama, head of the JSA’s crisis management department, said the case needs further examination as
Grand champion Harumafuji admitted to assaulting lower-ranked competitor Takanoiwa during an alcohol-fueled brawl when questioned on the matter by a Japan Sumo Association crisis management panel Sunday, a senior association official said.
Kagamiyama, head of the JSA’s crisis management department, said the case needs further examination as some details remain unclear, including whether, as reported, the 33-year-old Mongolian yokozuna struck Takanoiwa in the head with a beer bottle during the late-October incident.
After the two-hour interrogation at Tokyo’s Ryogoku Kokugikan hall, panel chief Toshio Takano declined to disclose what Harumafuji said, while pledging to “report as soon as possible” on the case.
The JSA had said earlier the panel will fully examine the case and hand down a judgment or punishment sometime after the ongoing Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament which ends on Nov 26.
