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.
Ryan Pierse/Getty
“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.
Savannah Guthrie stopped by the “Today” show studio to see colleagues on Thursday, NBC News said in a statement shared with CBS News. It was the first time Guthrie had been in the studio since her mother, Nancy Guthrie, disappeared over a month ago.
NBC said that Guthrie plans to eventually return to “Today.” The network did not specify when that might happen.
“Savannah Guthrie stopped by the studio this morning to be with and thank her TODAY colleagues,” the company said. “While she plans to return to the show on air, she remains focused right now supporting her family and working to help bring Nancy home.”
During her visit to Studio 1A, Guthrie embraced staff and crew, according to “Today.” She reportedly thanked her colleagues for “caring about my mom as much as I do,” the show said.
“I wanted you to know that I’m still standing, and I still have hope, and I’m still me,” she said. “And I don’t know what version of me that will be, but it will be.”
Courtesy NBC/Today/Handout via Reuters
“I have every intention of coming back,” Guthrie also said, according to the show. “I don’t know how to come back, but I don’t know how not to. You’re my family. And I would like to try.”
Guthrie’s last appearance on “Today” was January 30, 2026, two days before Nancy was reported missing. Guthrie has spent most of the past month with her siblings and their families in Arizona, where her mother and sister live.
Law enforcement have said they believe the 84-year-old was taken from her Tucson home overnight in the early morning hours of Feb. 1. No suspects or motive have been publicly identified. Law enforcement is continuing to analyze forensic and digital evidence related to the case.
Guthrie has shared search updates on her social media and recently said that while the family understands they may not find Nancy alive, they “still believe in a miracle.” Guthrie has offered a $1 million reward for information about her mother’s disappearance.
Possession of Nancy Guthrie’s home was recently returned to her family, and the FBI moved its command post from Tucson to Phoenix. A law enforcement source told CBS News the investigation was still continuing at full speed and that the move would allow for law enforcement to operate more efficiently for the long-term.
Princess Anne carried out another engagement on Thursday at the historic Bloomsbury campus of University College London.
The Princess Royal made a low-key arrival at UCL to meet students, academics and staff who are helping mark a milestone moment in the university’s long history.
The visit centred on the formal reopening of the beautifully restored Wilkins Building Cloisters that forms part of the university’s original 19th-century design.
During her time on campus, Anne spoke with those involved in the restoration project and learned more about how the university is celebrating its landmark anniversary.
Anne attended the event in her role as Chancellor of the University of London.
The last time a British monarch visited the university for such a milestone was nearly a century ago, when King George V and Queen Mary attended celebrations marking UCL’s centenary in 1927.
Earlier, the horse-loving royal was also spotted arriving at the National Equine Forum at One Birdcage Walk in Westminster, a key gathering for experts across the equestrian world.
On March 3, she paid a visit to The Old Department Store, where a once-traditional high street landmark is beginning a new chapter as a bustling community hub.
The royal guest was given a tour of the revitalised building, hearing about the ambitious “High Street Reimagined” vision that aims to transform the historic space into a centre for social enterprise, collaboration, and local innovation.
One of the highlights of the visit saw the Princess Royal explore several of The Grace Network’s social enterprise ventures operating within the space.
China has unveiled its ambitious new five-year plan that focuses heavily on artificial intelligence as leaders aim to secure an edge in an intensifying rivalry with the United States.
The five year plan was released at the opening session of the National People’s Congress, calling for sweeping adoption of AI across multiple sectors including manufacturing, healthcare, education, and logistics.
The 141-page blueprint introduces a broad “AI+ action plan” focusing on integrating technology throughout the Chinese economy.
Premier Li Qiang pointed out that technology as a pillar of what China terms “new quality productive forces,” suggesting a stronger emphasis than in earlier policy outlines.
The government made clear that it will pursue “decisive breakthroughs in key core technologies” and seize the “commanding heights” of global innovation.
Major focused fields include quantum computing, 6G telecommunications, humanoid robots, nuclear fusion and brain-computer interfaces.
In the next five years, China aims to reduce reliance on foreign technology specially advanced semiconductors due to rising trade tensions with the U.S.
Beside technology, the government also announced a 7 & increase in defense budget for 2026.
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