Why can't women sumo wrestle?
Well half the peopled polled by the Japanese Sumo Association said they are against women entering the mound.
The 2,000-year-old national sport has always banned women from the ring, though the origins of the ruling remain unclear. It was believed to be based on beliefs in Shinto, Japan's native region, that women are impure.
Impure? Women being allowed on the mound (I just have to keep saying that, I love it, mound snarf snarf) became an issue recently when the first female mayor of Osaka wanted to present the medal to the winner. She was banned from being allowed to do so and a male vice-governer did so instead.
Why? What is the big deal?
via SLAMsports (oh yeah, slammin).
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If the Japanese are too hidebound to move forward, circumvent them. Non-Japanese men, including Hawaiians of polynesian and other pacific island descent, have done very well (including a Hawaiian who became Yokozuna, or Grand Champion, in the 1990s under the name Akebono -- he was Chad Rowan, former power forward for the U. Hawaii basketball team.) There is a thriving amatuer sumo community in the U.S., and if women push their way in outside of Japan, Japan will be forced to compete or accept a decreasing role in their national sport.
Perhaps japanese men feel the spectre of watching obese women bounce around in a ring would harm their sex drive?
OK, so please explain why women geting into a sport that involves compulsive overeating is a *good* thing. I'm not getting it.
Josh, amateur sumo has weight divisions, so weight is not the main force to deal with (though being at the higher weight within your division is generally considered a good idea).
I do think that you'll see more women in amateur sumo as it gains popularity. I also think you will see sumo in the Olympics before you will see any allowance (if at all), of professional onnazumo. The reason for this is that pro-sumo is heavily laced with the tenets of shinto, and it is the shintoist belief that women are unclean that is the reason why they are not allowed into the dohyo. The pro dohyo are sacred spaces, the bail ring being the border of that space.
To allow women into that sacred space, there will first need to be ammendments to the tenets of shinto, retracting that women are unclean.
I doubt we will see that happen anytime soon.
I think working towards getting more female participation in the amateur run is a tangible step, though. If there are enough women participants, then there's a better chance sumo will be accepted into the Olympics. Once that happens, I think there's a good chance the popularity will boom. I hope so. It's a fun sport to watch as well as participate.
And I think it is a good sport to start in, if you are out of shape. Having a sumo bout is one of the eye openers that you need to be better in shape and work on your fitness.
And it is exilarating and empowering. For anyone of any age, of any gender, or of any weight.
And for anyone curious about onnazumo:
http://www.banzuke.com/05-4/msg00767.html