There are many reasons why a Londoner might refer to the Royal Albert Hall as a historic building, but many would point to its story in music, rather than the impressive fact that it held the first (and so far only) official sumo wrestling tournament outside of Japan some 34 years ago.
And now, the five-day Grand Sumo Tournament is heading back to the very same venue in October 2025 to host the second professional overseas event, after nearly three decades away. Londoners will have the rare chance to watch a selection of Makuuchi rikishi – wrestlers from Japan’s highest-level Sumo division take to the ring as they compete for the title of world champion.
There will be 40 wrestlers in total competing across October 15-19, and each evening will feature the dohyō-iri, which is an entrance ceremony to the ring, and around 20 bouts of Sumo wrestling.
Speaking on the news, James Ainscough OBE, Chief Executive of the Royal Albert Hall said: “It’s a true honour for the Royal Albert Hall to be the only venue to ever host a Sumo basho outside Japan. This will be a historic occasion, and an incredible week of sport, athleticism, and culture. We can’t wait to share the rich heritage of this ancient sport with the British public.”
Sumo wrestling dates back 1,500 in Japan, with a ceremonial-religious aspect to the sport, and competitors even live lives that have been described as almost ‘monastic’ in ‘heya’ stables to observe strict rules and principles.
Speaking on the news in London yesterday (December 4), Hakkaku Rijicho, winner of the 1991 tournament and now chairman of Sumo Kyokai, said: “There were many talks before before but with Covid it was not the right moment. We will really bring the authentic way of presenting a Sumo tournament to London. It starts with the wooden clacks that marks the start and end of the tournament. These are very simple things but we would like to keep this authenticity when we present it in London.”
The Grand Sumo Tournament takes place on October 15-19, 2025 at the Royal Albert Hall, with tickets to the wrestling going on sale early next year.