Tamawashi, left, pushes Watakakage during a bout at The Grand Sumo Tournament at the Royal Albert Hall in London, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025.(AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
Photos show Sumo wrestlers bring 1,500 years of tradition to London’s Royal Albert Hall
Original Publication Date: October 15, 2025 3:37PM
Publication Updated: October 15, 2025 11:58PM
LONDON (AP) — Sumo wrestlers bring 1,500 years of tradition to London’s Royal Albert Hall.
It marks only the second time the elite five-day tournament will be held outside Japan. The first was in 1991 at the same venue.
Organizers of the London event say they hope to show Japan’s rich culture as well as its traditional sport that pits two huge men clad in very little against each other in a test of strength and technique.
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This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
Sumo wrestlers, called rikishi, celebrate the opening on the dohyo, the sacred sumo wrestling ring, during The Grand Sumo Tournament at the Royal Albert Hall in London, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025.(AP Photo/Frank Augstein)Sumo wrestler Takayasu throws salt before a bout during The Grand Sumo Tournament at the Royal Albert Hall in London, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025.(AP Photo/Frank Augstein)Sumo wrestlers, called rikishi, prepare for their bouth on the dohyo, the sacred sumo wrestling ring, during The Grand Sumo Tournament at the Royal Albert Hall in London, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025.(AP Photo/Frank Augstein)Sumo wrestlers, called rikishi, Kotoeiho and Oshoumi, left, prepare for their bout during The Grand Sumo Tournament at the Royal Albert Hall in London, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025.(AP Photo/Frank Augstein)Takerufuji and Roga, top, prepare for their bout at The Grand Sumo Tournament at the Royal Albert Hall in London, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025.(AP Photo/Frank Augstein)Sumo wrestlers Oho and Kirishima grapple during their bout at The Grand Sumo Tournament at the Royal Albert Hall in London, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025.(AP Photo/Frank Augstein)Kotoeiho, back to camera, pushes and lifts Oshoumi during their bout at The Grand Sumo Tournament at the Royal Albert Hall in London, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025.(AP Photo/Frank Augstein)A Sumo wrestler lands on the edge of the ring during The Grand Sumo Tournament at the Royal Albert Hall in London, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025.(AP Photo/Frank Augstein)Takayasu, left, and Abi battle during The Grand Sumo Tournament at the Royal Albert Hall in London, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025.(AP Photo/Frank Augstein)Workers build up the dohyo, the sacred sumo wrestling ring and the ceremonial heart of the event, during a ritualized process that combines centuries-old tradition with precise engineering at the Royal Albert Hall in London, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025 ahead of The Grand Sumo Tournament. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)Workers build up the dohyo, the sacred sumo wrestling ring and the ceremonial heart of the event, during a ritualized process that combines centuries-old tradition with precise engineering at the Royal Albert Hall in London, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025 ahead of The Grand Sumo Tournament. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)Sumo wrestlers, called rikishi, arrive for The Grand Sumo Tournament at the Royal Albert Hall in London, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025.(AP Photo/Frank Augstein)Sumo wrestlers, called rikishi, pose for a photocall ahead of The Grand Sumo Tournament at the Royal Albert Hall in London, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025.(AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
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