Sumo tour to London canceled

A sumo exhibition tour planned for next autumn in London has been canceled due to the world financial crisis, it was learned Friday.

With the global economy in shambles, organizers faced great difficulty in securing local sponsors to the tour, according to a sumo source.

Also, with there appearing to be no end in sight for the crisis, it became impossible to plan the tour.

The Japan Sumo Association has been informed of the matter and an official decision will be made at the meeting of the executive council on Monday.

The JSA receives offers from around the world to hold exhibition events, which also serve to promote friendly relations with the host country and Japan. Thus the wrestlers have often been dubbed "naked ambassadors."

The cancelation of the London tour is just the second since 1991. It would have been the second trip to the British capital and was planned for Nov. 7-11.

In recent years, the wrestlers have staged events in such overseas sites as Hawaii, Las Vegas and Paris.

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