Sumo: Scandal-tainted champion Asashoryu calls it quits+

TOKYO, Feb. 4 Kyodo -
Mongolian grand champion Asashoryu, known for his truculent and fiery nature,
said Thursday he has decided to bring an end to his illustrious but
trouble-laden sumo career.
Asashoryu, 29, announced his retirement in the wake of a recent scandal in
which he was alleged to have seriously injured a man in a drunken rampage.
The yokozuna was summoned by the Japan Sumo Association board of directors for
questioning about the incident along with his stablemaster Takasago. He turned
in his resignation, which was accepted by the JSA board.
''I have no regrets about sumo. There was a big difference about what was
reported in the media about the incident and what actually happened,''
Asashoryu told reporters after being questioned by the panel. ''I have caused a
lot of trouble. Right now, my head is clear. In the final analysis, I needed to
make the decision.''
The Yokozuna Deliberation Council submitted a report to the JSA recommending
that Asashoryu resign after the yokozuna had announced he was calling time on
his career.
''This is fate for me. I feel a debt of gratitude that a boy from the prairies
of Mongolia was able to become a yokozuna. My proudest moment in sumo was when
I beat (former yokozuna) Musashimaru in front of my parents,'' he said with
tears welling in his eyes.
Asashoryu, who won his 25th career Emperor's Cup at the New Year meet to move
into sole possession of third place on the all-time list for most title
victories, was reported to have assaulted a man outside a Tokyo nightclub in
the early hours of Jan. 16.
One of his managers initially said that he was the victim of the assault and
Asashoryu later received a strict reprimand from JSA Chairman Musashigawa.
However, an unidentified man who apparently worked at the nightclub where the
yokozuna had been drinking later emerged, reportedly telling police that
Asashoryu had attacked him, causing injuries that included a broken nose.
Police said they are considering questioning Asashoryu about the incident after
they hear from his accuser. On Jan. 29, the two parties apparently reached a
settlement, which was submitted in a report to the police on Tuesday.
The JSA on Monday formed an investigation panel to get to the bottom of
Asashoryu's alleged involvement in the incident.
''We were debating today whether or not to punish Asashoryu,'' Musashigawa
said. ''He felt compelled to resign for misconduct which was inexcusable, and
the board accepted it. I want to apologize to all of the fans and to the person
injured in the incident. We will work together to make sure there is no
recurrence of this (kind of thing).''
Sumo's self-styled enfant terrible, Asashoryu is no stranger to controversy and
his frequent breaches of protocol, including pumping his fists in the ring,
have led to an increasingly strained relationship with the sumo establishment.
Ironically, he can also be credited with raising the popularity of sumo, which
has not seen a Japanese-born wrestler reach the top rank since yokozuna
Takanohana retired in 2003, due to a fierce rivalry with fellow Mongolian
yokozuna Hakuho.
Hakuho was inconsolable after hearing the news of the retirement of his
countryman, breaking into tears.
''I don't want to believe it,'' Hakuho said. ''I was honored to wrestle in the
same era as him. He was a yokozuna who pushed me to greater heights. I still
believe that he has much more to accomplish in sumo. I want to tell him never
to forget sumo. I will fight with his spirit in mind from now on.''
Asashoryu received a two-tournament ban in 2007 which sparked a bout of
depression after it was revealed that he had played hooky from a summer
regional tour by feigning the degree of his injuries while later taking part in
a soccer match in his native Mongolia.
He has also been pilloried by the JSA for playing golf with other Mongolian
wrestlers, including rival yokozuna Hakuho, immediately before last year's
summer meet.
In a 2003 bout he was disqualified for yanking the hair of compatriot
Kyokushuzan, a no-no in sumo. He picked a fight with Kyokushuzan in the locker
room afterward and was later accused of smashing the side mirror of the same
wrestler's car.
Asashoryu, whose real name is Dolgorsuren Dagvadorj, is the first
Mongolian-born wrestler to reach sumo's pinnacle of yokozuna.
Two Japanese yokozuna have resigned over scandals in the past. Maedayama quit
in 1949 after it was revealed that he had watched a baseball game between the
United States and Japan at Korakuen Stadium while supposedly sitting out a
tournament due to illness.
Back in 1987, Futahaguro split from his stablemaster Tatsunami due to
philosophical differences at the age of 24 and later resigned.
==Kyodo
2010-02-04 23:07:16