Say 'sumo', and most people imagine huge, topless Japanese giants with cloth wrapped around their waists. This is an accurate description of a professional sumo wrestler in Japan, where athletes must keep gaining weight to stay strong. But for most locals who practise sumo as a sport, things are very different.
Sumo was introduced to Hong Kong more than 20 years ago, and the Hong Kong Sumo Association (HKSA) was set up in 1991. As with other combat sports, athletes compete in their respective weight categories.
The rules are simple, and HKSA president, Mak Yiu-cheung, says the sport is very exciting.
'It is easy to understand the sport. Once an athlete is pushed out of the ring, or falls down, or touches the ground with any part of his body besides his feet, he is defeated. It can happen one or two seconds [into] a match,' says Mak.
HKSA focuses on youth development - 70 per cent of its members are teenagers. Cheng Hoi-wang, 13, a Form Two student from Lok Sin Tong Leung Chik Wai Memorial School, is a rising young star. He has won three consecutive titles at the Hong Kong Junior Sumo Championships. 'In sumo, we need to lift rivals out of the ring,' he says. 'At first [in Primary Four], I lifted people weighing the same as me [less than 50kg], and after years of training, I can now lift a person weighing around 100kg,' says the athlete who currently weighs 76kg.
Hoi-wang's teammate, Cheung Long, 15, also took up sumo in Primary Four, and has won a gold and two silver medals at the past three Hong Kong Junior Sumo Championships. The Form Two student from Buddhist Yip Kei Nam Memorial College says he learned an important lesson after a defeat at the beginning of his career. 'I was pushed out of the ring while I was still thinking about what to do,' he says. Sumo requires lightning quick reflexes.
