Sumo Wrestler Injury Raises Concerns Over Emergency Medical Protocol

Sumo Wrestler Injury
After the mishandling of a sumo athlete's injury during a sumo match, old concerns about medical protocol are resurfacing.

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[UPDATE: On April 29 it was confirmed that Hibikiryu passed away from acute respiratory failure in the hospital. We send our condolences to his family, friends, and fellow stablemates.]

While the coronavirus pandemic continues to keep Japan at a standstill, sports like sumo are trying to return to normal. The pandemic did hit some training stables harder than others, but that hasn’t stopped the Japan Sumo Association (JSA) from holding tournaments.

With the resumption of tournaments, however, old concerns are resurfacing over the handling of injuries rikishi (sumo wrestlers) sustain in the ring.

Domestic and international sumo fans alike were horrified during a March bout when rikishi Imafuku threw Hibikiryu, who fell hard and hit his head on the dohyo (tournament ring). As you can see in the video below, Hibikiryu lies prone for a worrying amount of time, but officials and judges show a distressing lack of concern. It also took longer than you’d expect for a doctor to appear and examine him.

[Content Warning: Graphic injury]

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Nikkan Sports reports staff placed Hibikiryu on a stretcher and removed him from the ring 6 minutes after his initial fall. A PR official later confirmed Hibikiryu had regained consciousness, but that he possibly sustained damage to the nerves in his cervical vertebrae.

As of this writing, the JSA hasn’t released any more information on Hibikiryu’s condition.

Sumo Fans React

Amid well-wishes for Hibikiryu’s speedy recovery, sumo fans on Twitter also berated the JSA for its dismal emergency medical protocol. “The JSA members just stood around like they didn’t know what to do…. I guess they don’t have a manual for treating injured rikishi,” one disappointed fan tweeted.

One picture in particular hit a nerve. In it, the referee declares opponent Imafuku the winner while Hibikiryu remains prone on the ground. “This image really speaks a thousand words,” a Japanese sports medical group tweeted.

Spolink JAPAN 公式 on X (formerly Twitter): “この写真のインパクトがすごいです。相撲界はコンタクトスポーツなはずですが、本当にこういう怪我に対して遅れている印象をうけます。https://t.co/LKlxAmP8oE / X”

この写真のインパクトがすごいです。相撲界はコンタクトスポーツなはずですが、本当にこういう怪我に対して遅れている印象をうけます。https://t.co/LKlxAmP8oE

Another user tweeted, “I thought they’d rethink things after the previous basho‘s Shonannoumi incident.” In a bout earlier this year, a head collision left rikishi Shonannoumi reeling and clearly disoriented. Shonannoumi stayed in the ring and went on to win the bout, but concern about emergency medical protocol in sumo only grew.

After Shonannoumi’s bout, the JSA did write a clause that, in the case of injury such as a head collision during a tachi-ai (initial charge between two rikishi), a referee can declare an injured rikishi unfit to wrestle and pull him from the bout, resulting in a default loss. However, this might have the unintended effect of prompting injured rikishi to hide the severity of their injuries and avoid a loss, as it could lead to a demotion in rank.

A Worrying Trend

Insufficient medical protocol is not just relegated to the sumo world. Poor head injury assessment protocol was notably seen at a 2015 rugby match when flanker Nunomaki Shunsuke hit his head and struggled to stay upright. He received only a cursory examination by a doctor and continued playing, but he was later hospitalized after the game.

Judo is another sport rife attracting negative press for injuries, abuse, and even death. Some cite “tough-love” training as a cause behind some well-known deaths. While the Japanese government has laws and guidelines in place regarding the prevention of sports-related injuries, as with many things in Japan, no strict legal punishments exist for those who don’t comply.

Clearly, it’s not just the sumo world that needs to take a long look at how they treat injured players. Head collisions in contact sports like sumo are inevitable, but the JSA should take more preventative steps to ensure the safety of rikishi. The organization’s recent clause is a step in the right direction, but as Hibikiryu’s injury shows, a lot more needs to be done.

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