Thaindian News

Guwahati, Feb 15 (IANS) Indian state Assam is soon to join the league of countries demanding inclusion of Sumo wrestling in the Olympic Games.

A leading trade forum based in Guwahati has taken the initiative of bringing five Sumo wrestlers to Guwahati to popularise Sumo wrestling and is to press for the game’s inclusion at the Olympics.

The five wrestlers from Mongolia and the US are winning the hearts of the local people at exhibition matches amongst them at the Maaniram Dewan Trade Centre in Guwahati.

“Over 80 countries in the world are now demanding inclusion of the Japanese martial art in the list of events in Olympic Games. We first want to popularise the event and then we are going to lobby along with other world wrestling bodies for the inclusion of Sumo wrestling in the Olympics,” said Rajesh Das, vice president of the Industries and Trade Fair Association of Assam (ITFAA).

It is for the first time that Sumo wrestling is being exhibited in this part of the country.

Apart from the star attraction of Kelly Gneiting, who is the three-time US heavyweight Sumo champion, the other four taking part in the exhibition matches here are: Mongolian free-style wrestling champion Tumurbaatar Sanchir aka Nachin (Falcon), two-time national weightlifting champion Bagadavaa Odsuren aka Zaan
(Elephant), Dagvador Azjargal aka Arslan (Lion), and reigning Sumo world champion Byambajav Ulambayar, originally from Mongolia but now settled in the US.

“We are also organising some interaction programmes between the wrestlers and students of some selected schools in the city,” said Das, adding that the wrestlers were given a warm welcome in the schools they visited.