Wakanoho loses battle over his dismissal as sumo wrestler

TOKYO, Oct. 30 Kyodo - The Tokyo District Court on Thursday turned down a suit filed by former Russian
sumo wrestler Wakahono seeking a provisional court order to nullify his
dismissal from the Japan Sumo Association for allegedly possessing marijuana,
his defense lawyer said.
Judge Shigeru Nakanishi ruled that the alleged possession of marijuana is a
major illegal act and the sumo association's decision is not as severe as
claimed by the disgraced grappler, lawyer Makoto Miyata said.
Wakanoho was disappointed by the court's decision, Miyata said.
The sumo association dismissed Wakanoho, 20, whose real name is Gagloev Soslan
Aleksandrovich, as a member sumo wrestler on Aug. 21, three days after he was
arrested on suspicion of possessing marijuana.
Prosecutors later decided not to file criminal charges against Wakanoho
apparently because he was a minor at 19 when he was allegedly in possession of
marijuana and the amount of the drug was very small.
On Sept. 11, Wakanoho filed a lawsuit against the Japan Sumo Association,
arguing that the dismissal penalty was too severe compared with previous cases.
He also sought a provisional injunction to nullify his dismissal to avoid being
deported from Japan because his visa would expire three months after the
dismissal.
After being sacked as a sumo wrestler, Wakanoho told the Shukan Gendai weekly
magazine that he had once fixed sumo matches, naming four active wrestlers.
==Kyodo