Sumo wrestling grapples with gambling scandal
Sunday, June 27, 2010
TOKYO (AP) -- The venerable Japanese sport of sumo wrestling may make the unprecedented move of canceling its next tournament because of allegations that wrestlers and coaches bet on baseball games.
Japan's Sumo Association is considering suspending more than a dozen wrestlers and their coaches for the baseball gambling ring, which allegedly involved gangster middlemen.
Police are considering criminal action pending the outcome of its investigation of the betting accusations, which first appeared in the weekly press.
Even without charges, gambling is seen as a breach of discipline and not in keeping with stringent ethical standards sumo wrestlers are expected to observe.
