Entertainment
Grand Sumo Tournament comes to London for the second time outside Japan in the sport’s 1,500-year history
London — The world of professional sumo wrestling stepped outside of Japan for only the second time in its centuries-long history on Wednesday night, as fighters clashed on a specially constructed ring in the middle of London’s Royal Albert Hall.
The iconic venue in the British capital is hosting the Grand Sumo Tournament —the roughly 1,500-year-old sport’s most important competition — for the second time, drawing more than 44 professional wrestlers, or Rikishi, to compete in 100 bouts over five days. The only other time the tournament was held outside Japan was in 1991, when it also came to the Royal Albert Hall.
There are unique challenges in bringing sumo to London, as the contemporary national sport of Japan is rooted in two millennia of tradition, interwoven with the Shinto religion, and thus treated with the utmost respect and protection to ensure adherence to its rituals and norms.
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“One of the things that we’ve worked really hard at is to make sure that we have a good understanding of the cultural and religious significance that sumo has,” Matthew Todd, the Royal Albert Hall’s programming director, told CBS News.
He said attention to detail was “really critical to the authentic presentation that we’re able to make here.”
That meant shipping 11 tons of clay from Japan to construct the ring, or dohyo, in the center of the concert venue, where the wrestlers compete. Shipping containers were at sea for three months making the voyage. A big team of ring attendants (yobisdashi), also had to make the trip from Japan — alongside 11 interpreters to help them communicate with British workers.
Ryan Pierse / Getty Images 
The roof for the dohyo, now suspended from the Albert Hall ceiling, was built in Britain, but its design is taken straight from traditional Japanese Shinto shrines, which, according to Todd, “helps to show that this is a sacred area,” in which routines and holy ceremonies are conducted as part of the tournament.
It’s a vital step, he said, to ensure the Shinto gods are paid their due respects before the fights.
Sumo is deeply intertwined with Japanese culture and religion in ways that many Western sports fans may find difficult to comprehend. According to legend, it originated as a ritual to ask the gods for a bountiful harvest, but it transformed over almost 2,000 years into the sport it is today, drawing competitors still primarily from Japan, but also from around the world.
Many of the most recent champions have been from Mongolia, and this year’s tournament features two rishiki from Ukraine. While Americans have competed successfully in past tournaments, there are no U.S. rishiki competing in this year’s event in London.
Jordan Pettitt/PA Images/Getty 
The nuance of the wrestling competition itself can also be difficult to fully grasp, with 82 winning techniques called kimirate, numerous ranks and divisions and a host of other rules. So to help translate all this for a largely Western audience, in-ear English language commentary is provided at the Royal Albert Hall, alongside video replay screens to describe and explain the bouts, which can sometimes end in just seconds when a competitor is forced out of the ring.
The wrestlers themselves live an incredibly regimented life. They are forbidden from driving cars and, somewhat counterintuitively, eating breakfast, and are normally required to take a long nap after their hefty lunch, to help them pack on the pounds.
The average weight of a rikishi is about 330 pounds, but some tip the scales at 550.
Jordan Pettitt/PA Images/Getty 
They have been given some leave during their visit to the British capital to enjoy themselves, however — with organizers likely seeing the value in some degree of publicity.
During the lead-up to the tournament, social media platforms were full of photos and videos of the traditionally kimono-clad wrestlers sightseeing around London.
The Albert Hall will also be graced this week by the presence of two yokozuna, the highest ranking of all sumo wrestlers. The word yokozuna is generally translated as grand champion, but it translates literally to “horizontal rope,” in a reference to the special rope worn around their waists to display their rank.
Krisztian Elek/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty 
Once a rishiki is promoted to the rank of yokozuna, they keep it until retirement. In nearly 400 years of professional sumo, only 75 men have attained the vaunted grand champion status. The honor typically requires not only multiple consecutive championship wins, but approval by a dedicated council that judges rishiki on their wrestling skills, but also a range of other personal attributes.
The tournament is due to end on Sunday, when the wrestler with the most victories in the ring will be crowned this year’s champion.
The field is considered wide open this year, but many, especially back at home in Japan, will be hoping for 25-year-old Yokozuna Onasato, the country’s first grand champion in almost a decade, to emerge victorious.
Robert Downey Jr. gave Timothée Chalamet validation that he has reached the level of excellence he’s been striving for.
The Dune star has long spoken openly about his “pursuit of greatness” and now, he’s gotten a major seal of approval from the legend.
During a recent Q&A for Marty Supreme, the Avengers: Doomsday star didn’t hold back, calling the newly minted Golden Globes Best Actor winner “one of the greats.”
“You’ve talked a lot lately about this,” Downey, 60, said about Chalamet’s great ambitions. “I am literally twice your age. When I was 30, I was making a movie with Norman Jewison.”
He recalled, “It was called Only You. Me and Marisa Tomei. We were on the Amalfi coast somewhere and I just go to Norman Jewison, you know Moonstruck and all these great movies, I go, ‘Norman, I think I am one of the greats.'”
“I want you to tell me if you agree with that.” the Iron Man lead continued. “He looked at me like I was nuts. He said, ‘Well, Mr. Downey, that remains to be seen.'”
“And I want to say in front of God and everyone in this audience here with you that as of Marty Supreme, it no longer remains to be seen. Let’s hear it for, Timothée Chalamet,” he added.
For the unversed, the 30-year-old French-American actor openly told the industry about wanting to be a great actor during his acceptance speech at the 2025 SAG Awards.
“I can’t downplay the significance of this award, because it means the most to me,” Chalamet said in his acceptance speech after he won best actor for playing Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown.
“I know we’re in a subjective business, but the truth is, I’m really in pursuit of greatness. I know people don’t usually talk like that, but I want to be one of the greats. I am inspired by the greats,” he added.
It is pertinent to note that Marty Supreme has shattered one record after another since opening over the holidays.
Its latest box office milestone came Tuesday when passing up Leonardo DiCaprio’s rival Oscar contender One Battle After Another to end the day with an estimated cume of $72.27 million, according to A24.
The newly released film Marty Supreme earned Chalamet his first Critics’ Choice and Golden Globe awards, making him a frontrunner for a Best Actor Oscar at the upcoming 98th Academy Awards.
Information Minister Atta Tarar has announced the return of veteran broadcaster Ishrat Fatima to Pakistan Television, where she will serve as a mentor to aspiring newscasters and broadcasters.
The announcement was made during a media interaction at her residence in Islamabad, where the minister appeared alongside the veteran broadcaster. The development comes after Fatima’s retirement, marking the end of her 45-year-long association with Radio Pakistan.
Tarar expressed his gratitude to Fatima for accepting his request to rejoin Pakistan Television as an expert and mentor. He noted that her expertise would be invaluable in training newcomers in the art of news reading and broadcasting under various circumstances.
“She is a seasoned newscaster with an illustrious career,” the minister remarked and added, “Every Pakistani identified her voice as she brings over four and a half decades of experience and service to the nation.”
“Following her retirement from Radio Pakistan, I personally requested her to join PTV to train the next generation and promote the Urdu language. Her return will encourage us all and strengthen PTV as an institution. Throughout her career, she maintained professional integrity without any political associations.”
The minister said there would be a surprise upon her formal return, noting that Pakistan Television is all set to welcome her back.
Speaking to the media, the veteran broadcaster described news reading as her lifelong passion and thanked the minister for honoring her with this responsibility.
Fatima said that she looks forward to teaching the younger generation and contributing to the betterment of the institution. She also urged the government to continue encouraging competent individuals in every field.
The equity market rose on Friday as investors bought the dip pointing to US–Iran de-escalation and a dovish tilt in rate expectations, lifting risk appetite early in the session.
The Pakistan Stock Exchange’s benchmark KSE-100 Index climbed to an intraday high of 184,645.65, gaining 3,189.32 points, 1.76%, from the previous close of 181,456.33, and reached a low of 182,559.69, up 1,103.36 points, or 0.61%.
“The market witnessed a sharp recovery after the latest news flows suggest the de-escalation between the US and Iran,” said Huzaifa Riaz, Director, Mayari Securities (Pvt) Limited.
“Additionally, sentiment around the next monetary policy remains dovish as the latest auction suggests a 50 bps cut, which could further improve a risk-on sentiment,” he added.
Ahsan Mehanti, Managing Director and CEO of Arif Habib Commodities, echoed the sentiments, saying: “Bullish activity witnessed in early session at PSX amid reports of US-Iran de-escalation,” adding: “Speculations over further SBP policy easing amid falling government bond yields played a catalyst role in bullish activity at PSX.”
A Topline Research survey ahead of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Monetary Policy Committee meeting on January 26, 2026, showed 80% of participants expect a rate cut.
Of those, 56.4% see 50 bps, 15.4% expect 100 bps, 5% look for 25 bps, and 3% foresee 75 bps, while 20% expect no change. In the previous decision on December 15, 2025, the SBP cut 50 bps.
SBP reserves rose $16 million to $16.072 billion in the week ended January 9, taking total liquid reserves to $21.248 billion (commercial banks $5.177 billion, up $40 million).
The SBP noted ongoing foreign exchange purchases amid a steadier current account supported by remittances; from June 2024 to September 2025, net market purchases totalled $9.7 billion.
The central bank projects the FY26 current account deficit at 0–1% of GDP and sees reserves at $17.8 billion by June 2026 with planned official inflows.
On Thursday, the KSE-100 Index fell 1,113.48 points (0.61%) to 181,456.34 from 182,569.82, after trading between 183,717.54 and 180,783.63.
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