Amateur Sumo - Team Ukraine

Sumo - a sport steeped in tradition with a passionate following throughout Japan.

Across the globe too, people everywhere are being drawn to Sumo.

At amateur level, wrestlers in over 80 countries are currently stepping into the ring.

Ukraine is a country with a particularly strong reputation.

Their sumo team scooped up nine medals - including three golds - at a big international event in July.

This success was grounded in an intensive training camp held in Japan, just prior to the games.

Professional Grand Sumo, with its long history and traditions, isn't the only version of this globally popular sport.

Amateur sumo, where both men and women can participate, has also steadily been spreading worldwide.

Today, we meet the sumo wrestlers of Ukraine, one of the strongest performing nations in international amateur sumo.

Sumo has been hugely popular in Japan as a professional sport for many years.

Around the world it's practiced only by amateurs, in which both men and women can compete.

The "dohyo," a 4.55-meter diameter ring, is where belt-wearing wrestlers fight.

The loser is the first one to step outside the ring...

... or touch the ground with anything other than the soles of their feet.

Professional wrestlers are known as "rikishi."

With their top knots and kimono, preserving the tradition and culture of Japan is a vital part of their lifestyles.

In contrast, amateur sumo, contested in separate weight classes, functions more like a modern sport.

Ukraine is one country where amateur sumo has become popular among both men and women of all ages.

The Ukrainian government has worked hard to back the sport, providing funding for special training facilities.

As a result, Ukraine has become one of amateur sumo's strongest forces, and has won more than 10 gold medals on the international stage.

Combat sports have had avid devotees in Ukraine for some time, so people readily took to sumo.

But, there is a more significant reason for sumo's popularity in Ukraine.

Liubov Korobko of the Ukraine Sumo Federation told us about a local legend.

A big reason people love sumo here is the legacy of the half-Ukrainian wrestler Taiho Koki.

His father was actually from my hometown.

Taiho Koki, fought in Japan over 50 years ago.

At the time, he was the most successful professional wrestler ever, with 32 tournament victories.

He also earned the rare honor of becoming "yokozuna" - sumo's highest rank.

The popularity of sumo in Ukraine grew thanks to Taiho, after it emerged that his father was Ukrainian.

A bronze statue of the great Yokozuna was erected in the city of Odesa to honor his achievements.

In February 2022, Ukraine was invaded by Russia.

This affected the sumo team's practice facilities, just as they were preparing for the World Games.

The Ukraine Sumo Federation approached Matsue Violetta, a Japanese woman who had worked with them previously.

As their contact in Japan, they reached out to her for help.

They told me that, without help, they wouldn't be able to take part in the World Games, and that their wrestlers were in danger.

They asked if we could help them evacuate to Japan, so that they could practice here and get themselves ready.

They wanted to know if it would be possible to come here temporarily, in the run up to the games.

As sumo is a Japanese sport, I immediately felt, without hesitation, that we had to do something to help them out.

The Ukraine sumo team for the World Games arrived in Japan at the end of May.

Violetta had been working hard behind the scenes, organizing crowd-funding for the wrestlers, while also negotiating with local authorities about who could host them.

The members of the Ukraine men's team consisted of four wrestlers.

There were two on the women's side.

All six were medal contenders.

Thanks to Violetta's efforts and the generosity of crowd-funding donors, Ukraine's sumo wrestlers were able to hold their training camp in Japan.

The first location that was chosen, the city of Usa, in Oita Prefecture, is a place that has a special connection to the sport.

The arriving wrestlers went to train in Usa, birthplace of the legendary Yokozuna, Futabayama.

Futabayama holds the record for 69 consecutive wins, and he was dearly loved among sumo fans.

Due to its deep connection with sumo, Usa wanted to support the Wrestlers from Ukraine.

On arrival, a surprise greeting from Yokozuna Hakuho was awaiting them.

Prior to retiring in 2021, the dominant Yokuzuna broke numerous records, including 45 top division championships.

I hope you throw yourself into your training and do your best to succeed at the World Games.

I'll be supporting you.

Hakuho is renowned in Ukraine.

Women's heavyweight competitor Ivanna Berezovska was delighted to receive encouragement from the Yokozuna himself.

Firstly, I was so pleased that he knew we were here.

And getting such a supportive message from him made me so happy.

The training camp finally gets underway.

The wrestlers from Ukraine arrive at the venue ready for practice.

In amateur sumo, wrestlers are allowed to wear shorts under their "mawashi" or belt, but the male Ukrainians wear only a "mawashi" - the same as Japanese sumo wrestlers.

The Ukrainian wrestlers start their warm-up.

They follow the lead of some Japanese amateurs who are there to help them train.

Firstly, they do "shiko," a stamping exercise to strengthen the lower body.

Next up is "suriashi," or shuffling.

"Suriashi" also strengthens the lower body, but it sharpens balance, too.

The techniques for performing "shiko," the way they used their hands, and the long time spent on warming up, was all new to us.

So, we want to take that on board.

The Japanese wrestlers also teach their Ukrainian counterparts taping techniques to help prevent injury.

The careful preparations are an eye-opener.

It's then time for some actual bouts.

The Ukrainians can't wait to show their Japanese partners what they can do.

Oleksandr Veresiuk is the largest wrestler in the group.

Oleksandr is an admirer of Yokozuna Terunofuji, the current number-one wrestler in professional sumo.

He's working on emulating Terunofuji's skill of turning an opponent's attack into victory.

Returning to the "dohyo" for his first proper practice in three and a half months, Oleksandr is aiming to perfect his technique.

His bout opponent is a former national college champion.

Oleksandr has the skill and power to cause problems for the experienced Japanese wrestler.

He wrestles with great control and he holds his ground well.

My style is to push, but he didn't move back at all.

I was waiting for him to give up some ground, but he stayed put.

He's similar to Yokozuna Terunofuji.

Oleksandr takes a firm stance, grabs a hold, and then quickly attacks.

I find it much easier to wrestle if I can stop the opponent's advance, and then take a belt hold.

If I can do that, I'm not scared of anyone...

... at least, not in the sumo ring.

Sviatoslav Semykras, a member of Ukraine's lightweight team, is also highly skilled.

He models himself on Enho, one of the smaller Japanese pros.

Weighing in at just 100 kilos, Enho can beat opponents nearly twice his size, defeating them with a wide range of technical skills.

For the last two years, he's the only wrestler I've been following.

He's a small wrestler fighting larger opponents, just like me.

The other members of the team call me the Ukrainian Enho.

Sviatoslav uses a very low stance, so low he's almost touching the ground.

His courage and technical ability are clearly evident.

He has the lower body strength to prevent his opponents from thrusting him down.

They're overwhelmed by his speed and agility.

Sviatoslav is also adept at snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, after being pushed to the edge of the ring.

He worked hard on his skill through visualizing various scenarios inside his head, after he was forced to evacuate his home.

Much of my training I've been doing alone, by myself.

I've been thinking about my opponents' matches and how they fight very carefully, practicing defensive strategies to beat them, and working on my movements.

I love it, my mind is so full of sumo!

The training camp finally gave Sviatoslav a chance to put all his visualization work into practice.

Ivanna Berezovska wrestles in the women's heavyweight class.

At the training camp she showed off her skill against Kon Hiyori, a wrestler from Japan who'll be competing at the World Games in the same category.

Ivanna overcomes Japan's top female heavyweight with a superb throwing technique.

Ivanna is always looking to improve.

She asks a Japanese coach if he can help her with her initial charge.

In sumo, pushing your opponent back with a powerful "tachiai," or initial charge, can often lead to victory.

The coach advises Ivanna to tense up only at the moment of impact.

This results in less loss of energy and greater force.

Relax, relax.

You're too tense from the start.

Coach relaxes first before tensing up.

Japanese wrestlers relax, then strike.

Japanese wrestlers know when to relax their bodies and use a "gentler" approach.

In Ukraine, we are used to tensing up and fighting with a much stiffer style.

So, although I understand what he's saying, it's hard to get my body to respond in that way.

Ivanna spends as much time as she can practicing a fresh approach to her initial charge.

As the wrestlers taking part in the camp work to hone their skills against Japanese opponents, back home in Ukraine, war rages on.

One of the wrestlers is especially worried for her family's safety.

Karyna Kolesnik competes in the women's middleweight class.

She told us about her family's situation back in Ukraine.

When Russia attacked, I was living with my husband in a different town to my parents.

They called me in the morning to say that the attack had begun.

The area where they live was occupied by the Russian military just a week later.

As Karyna trains in Japan, her parents are still living in an area under Russian occupation.

When I try to contact them from Japan, the Internet connection isn't stable, since the area they're in is now occupied by the Russian forces.

I only have one or two minutes to ask them if they are doing ok, before the line tends to cut out.

Karyna tries to get through to her parents, but she's unsuccessful.

There's no connection.

There's not even a busy tone.

Fortunately, Karyna's husband, Sanya, is still in a town controlled by Ukraine, so she's able to reach him.

Are things ok over there?

Yes, but it's baking hot.

How's practice?

It's going fine.

That's good.

I can't get Mom and Dad on the phone.

I guess the Internet is bad in the countryside, too.

Not just the Internet, I can't get them
by regular phone either.

Maybe the town has been closed off.

Speak to you soon.

He encourages me so much.

Ivanna is like an older sister to Karyna, another source of emotional support.

What is happening is terrible, but we're just glad to be alive.

We all have families living in occupied places, but at least those areas are quiet, for now.

Everyone's been working so hard to take part in the World Games, which is only held once every four years, so I told Karyna that the most important thing is to focus on winning.

With her teammates' support, Karyna trains hard right the way through the training camp.

She was able to fight against some of the Japanese wrestlers she could face at the World Games.

In Ukraine, it's common for wrestlers not to charge in headfirst, as per the Japanese style.

Karyna develops a cut above her eye.

She's holding back on her initial charge, and immediately finds herself on the defensive.

Ivanna moves in to give her encouragement.

Karyna is eventually able to overcome her fear and perform a potent initial charge.

She fights more aggressively, and seems to have made a breakthrough.

Of course, I'm deeply concerned about my family back home...

But, I have to try and stay focused...

I want to win at the World Games.

It's the final day of the training camp in Usa.

The wrestlers visit a museum chronicling the life of local hero, Yokozuna Futabayama.

Between 1936 and 1939, Futabayama set a record of 69 consecutive wins, an achievement that still stands today.

The wrestlers learn how Futabayama rewrote the sumo record books, despite the loss of nearly all of the sight in his right eye, following a childhood accident.

Futabayama's remarkable persistence, in the face of extreme circumstances, remind the Ukraine team of the situation they find themselves in now.

I think it's incredible how he was able to continue winning, even though he fought with the disadvantage of no sight in one eye.

I would like to become a great wrestler like he was.

After completing their intensive training in Japan, the Ukrainian sumo team are headed for the United States, the host of the 2022 World Games.

Thank you!

At the World Games, Ukraine fought up a storm with some impressive sumo.

Karyna Kolesnik kept her focus on attacking hard in the initial charge, winning silver in the women's middleweight class.

Ivanna Berezovska, also unleashing the powerful initial charge she acquired in Japan, claimed gold in the women's open weight class, the Ukraine national anthem ringing out as she stood on the podium.

The technical skills of Sviatoslav Semykras shone on the world stage, winning a bronze medal in the men's lightweight class.

Oleksandr Veresiuk won a bronze, too.

Everyone on the Ukraine team did their country proud, with every member who trained in Japan ending the World Games with a medal.

It's my hope that the members of the Ukraine team, who came to Japan for the training camp, will be able to continue doing sumo.

I hope they can keep improving their skills in Ukraine, without getting caught up in the fighting over there.

They are an inspiration to Ukrainian children, and that's something I really want them to keep doing.

I hope they can continue practicing the sport of sumo for many years to come.

Onward, Ukraine!

What an incredible feat for every single one of Ukraine's sumo team, from the training camp to reach the podium!

It was so moving watching them achieve such success, in spite of everything they must be going through.

I really hope the day will come soon when they and their families can once again live their lives in peace and safety.

I'm sure we'll be seeing more great things from these fearless sumo wrestlers in future.

It's now time to wrap up the show with this week's Spotlight.

Please join us again next time on J-Arena.

Mountains cover some 70% of Japan’s terrain.

In Tanzawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, close to Tokyo, a unique mountain race known as the Tanzawa Bokka-Ekiden takes place every year in June.

The word "bokka" refers to someone who carries goods up into the mountains.

Competitors in the Tanzawa Bokka-Ekiden all carry a load on their back as they race to see who is fastest up into the mountains.

Runners carry up to 40 kilograms in weight.

Relay teams of 4 race for the finish line, which lies at an elevation of 1,300 meters.

I feel great!

This race has not been held since 2020, due to the pandemic.

In 2021, some of the regular competitors decided to maintain the race route.

The work is tough and helps keep the runners fit in the absence of an official event.

The efforts of competitors, and those involved in organizing the race, keep the route safe for hikers year-round.

They are all hoping that the next race, scheduled for 2023, can finally go ahead once more.