Then the Japan Sumo Association announced Sept. 3 that two other sumo wrestlers tested positive for marijuana—Russian brothers who go by the names Roho and Hakurozan—sparking calls for the head of the organization, Kitanoumi, to resign. Kitanoumi coaches Hakurozan.
The positive tests came when the association tested “all 69 wrestlers in sumo’s top two divisions” without prior notice, according to The Guardian. Roho and Hakurozan both deny that they used marijuana, however.
Mitsuru Yaku, a member of the Japan Sumo Association, said it was “natural” that Kitanoumi would lose his job as a result of the recent affair. “I don’t think for a moment that all of the puss has come out,” he said, indicating that this will not be the last disgrace for the sport.
It is not the first, either. Junichi Yamamoto, a master of a stable that trains wrestlers, was arrested in April 2008 on assault charges for reputedly beating a 17-year-old trainee. There have also been accusations that sumo matches have been fixed, and the rise of foreign athletes has rankled many fans.