Playing with health: Sumo wrestlers are getting fatter

Like the Japanese daily newspaper Asahi Shimbun reports, the wrestlers in the highest sumo league, Makuuchi, now weigh an average of around 160 kilograms - 15 kilograms more than they did 30 years ago. The body mass index (BMI), which is used to estimate body fat percentage, is more than 47, it said. A BMI of 25 or higher is considered a sign of overweight. “It's never easy to stay healthy as long as you live the life of a sumo wrestler,” said the Russian-born former wrestler Orora, who weighed 288 kilograms at the time of the fight, making him the record as the heaviest sumo wrestler to this day Japan holds. Association advises against chips Every wrestler has to take care of themselves and their health, Orora was quoted as saying. Nobody in your own ring stable takes care of you. Japan's sumo association has issued health guidelines and has athletes examined regularly. Wrestlers are advised to eat fish, vegetables and meat and to chew well. Wrestlers should also stay away from potato chips, cakes and donuts filled with bean paste. But some of the fighters also like to eat fast food. “Becoming big is part of the job of a rikishi (wrestler),” the honorary director of a clinic was quoted as saying. However, the sumo association should systematically work on the diet and fitness of wrestlers so that they do not develop diabetes and other health problems. There have also been repeated allegations in the past that young sumo students in Japan were being “strengthened” in sometimes violent and dangerous ways. Corona death at 28 years old Recently, a young wrestler who suffered from diabetes died of the coronavirus after multiple organ failure. The Japanese with the ring name Shobushi was only 28 years old. Doctors cited his chronic health problems as a factor in his death, it said. Shobushi was the first sumo wrestler to contract the virus and the first to die from it.

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Playing with health: Sumo wrestlers are getting fatter

Sumo wrestlers are becoming increasingly heavier and are endangering their health. Now Japan is sounding the alarm.

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