Richard Riggs, from Barnsley Sumo Club, says he believes the sport is for everyone.

TOKYO (AP) — For centuries, sumo's deep links with the Shinto religion barred women from entering the ring, let alone allowing them to participate. While women remain excluded from professional sumo, ...

Don’t miss the full story, whose reporting from Reeno Hashimoto and Koji Ueda at The Associated Press is the basis of this AI-assisted article. While professional sumo wrestling in Japan maintains its ...

Sumo Wrestling isn't a sport normally associated with women but Belfast Sumo Club now has three female wrestlers ...

It's a scene you would expect to see in Tokyo. But the sound of bare feet padding, and bodies thudding on the mat of a sports hall in Belfast signals an unlikely first - the ancient Japanese tradition ...

THE TWO young contenders grab at each other’s loincloths. A referee keeps up the shout of “nokotta nokotta”, indicating that the wrestlers are still in the game. Suddenly one lunges forward, sending ...

TOKYO — Sumo is more than a sport in Japan. It’s a sacred tradition, a 1,500-year-old spectacle steeped in Shinto ritual and ceremony. But at its heart lies a long-standing taboo: Women are still ...

TOKYO — As Japan’s first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi has broken new ground in a country that struggles with gender equality. But she has quickly run up against a tradition that may be ...

TOKYO (AP) — Sanae Takaichi made history by becoming Japan’s first female prime minister in October. She must now decide whether she’ll break another barrier: the taboo barring women from the sumo ...