Japan Sumo Association promotes 13

The Japan Sumo Association said Wednesday a postwar record of 13 wrestlers will be promoted to the juryo division for the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament in July—including two who posted losing records at a test meet that wrapped up in Tokyo on Sunday.

Seven wrestlers will be making their debut in the juryo-division while six will be returning to sumo's second tier from the lower makushita class, following the decision taken at a meeting to determine the banzuke rankings for the Nagoya meet.

The move came after 17 wrestlers were banished from the sumo world last month for their involvement in a match-fixing scandal that rocked the national sport to its core when it came to light in February.

The JSA eliminated 17 wrestlers but reduced by the number of ranks in the juryo division for Nagoya, leaving 13 berths to be filled.

Mongolian-born Arawashi and Kakizoe both posted 3-4 losing records in the May Technical Examination Tournament. It is the first time in the modern sumo era for losing wrestlers to be promoted, according to the JSA's media department.

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