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.
