Alastair Himmer

Asashoryu Faces Probe In Alleged Booze-Rage

Tokyo. Troubled sumo grand champion Asashoryu faces a potentially career-threatening probe into allegations of a drunken scuffle in Tokyo last month.
  Newly elected Japan Sumo Association executive board member Takanohana on Tuesday ordered an investigation following reports that Asashoryu had allegedly broken a man’s nose.
  “It is important we get to the truth,” former yokozuna grand champion Takanohana told Japanese reporters. “The JSA needs to know exactly what happened.
  “We need to launch a proper investigation. A sumo wrestler should not feel the wind at his back but walk tall.”
  The head of Asashoryu’s sumo gym told Japanese media over the weekend that the Mongolian had been too drunk to remember the alleged incident outside a nightclub in the early hours of Jan. 16.
  The 29-year-old won his 25th Emperor’s Cup a week later but sumo officials have taken a dim view of his latest alleged breach of discipline.
  Senior JSA figures have said Asashoryu will face punishment if the allegations are proven and Japanese media have speculated he could be thrown out of the sport.
  Asashoryu has frequently been in hot water during an explosive career, for everything from pulling an opponent’s hair to starting a soapy bathroom brawl during a post-bout soak.
  In 2007, Asashoryu was banned after being caught playing football in Mongolia, having forged a doctor’s note for an apparent back injury.

  Reuters

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