Sumo stars head to London’s Royal Albert Hall with focus on yokozuna Hoshoryu Tomokatsu and Onosato Daiki

They get 70 kg of rice daily and the wholesaler has run out of noodles. Yes, sumo returns to London on Wednesday.

It is only the second time a major tournament has been held outside Japan – and this is a sport with records dating back more than 1,500 years.

It has been 34 years since the Royal Albert Hall hosted the only previous event of its kind on foreign soil. The appetite for tickets meant all five days sold out immediately.

Much of the focus is on the two grand champions or yokozuna, the 74th and 75th men to reach that rank.

They are Mongolian Hoshoryu Tomokatsu, as well as Japan’s Onosato Daiki – who this year became the fastest wrestler to reach this rank in the modern era.

“I am happy that sumo is back after so many years,” Onosato said. “I hope I can show fans in the UK how great sumo is.”

“Being a yokozuna comes with a lot of responsibility,” Hoshoryuu said. Sky Sports. “We have to show everyone an example of what a yokozuna is – and that is very difficult.

“My uncle was a yokozuna – and I’m happy to follow in his footsteps. But I came to London as a yokozuna and he didn’t, so I’m even happier!”

They are truly great competitors.

In the recent Aki Basho tournament – the most prestigious tournament on the sumo calendar – the duo finished with identical records after 15 days of matches.

It all came down to a final playoff match between the two yokozuna teams – the first time that had happened in 16 years. It was Onosato who came out on top on that occasion.

Hoshoryuu says he is a big fan of basketball and football. He follows Chelsea, although his favorite players go back a bit: “Didier Drogba and Petr Cech. He’s the ‘keeper’. I love that guy!”

Early Beginnings and Hearty Soup: The Life of a Rikishi

Wrestlers – or rikishi – have a strict training regimen. They live in communal blocks called stables and practice begins early. Perhaps surprisingly, everyone skips breakfast. After training and practice – and, for the younger rikishi, household chores – the wrestlers all eat together.

The staple of their diet is chancunabe, a delicious soup filled with meat and vegetables. Feeding the 40 rikishi who came to participate in the five-day tournament is a challenge in itself.

Donagh Collins, chief executive of partner organization Asconas Holt, said: “We consume 70kg of rice a day. Someone told me my noodle wholesaler had run out of noodles! We’re really pushing the system here!”

The ring – or dohyo – is only 4.55 meters in diameter, which is quite small when two giant wrestlers jump at each other.

The goal of the fights is to either pin your opponent to the ground—or, more dramatically, to push or toss him out of the dohyo, so spectators in the ringside seats may get closer to the wrestlers.

The last time the tournament was held in Britain, Koniske’s massive car, known as a dumper, took center stage.

The giant Hawaiian was the heaviest rikishi ever at 287kg – or 45 stone. That’s a lot of wrestler to dodge if he falls out of the ring towards you!

The Royal Albert Hall may initially have been a concert venue, but it has hosted the likes of John McEnroe, Lennox Lewis and even Muhammad Ali.

And over the next five days, the cream of the sumo world will thrill the crowds – provided a new pasta supplier is found.