![]() Of course, the number of spectators choosing to stay home has increased during the pandemic, but the empty seats around her really made Ikuna realise the true extent of those numbers. ▼ Spectators can sit at empty seats near the ring before going to their allocated seat once the big matches start in the afternoon. While the reduced seating capacity initially made her think tickets would be hard to secure, it was actually the opposite, because unlike previous years, Ikuna had no problem securing a good seat with a great view. ![]() ▼ …And the usually crowded stores and hallways were eerily empty ▼ Once inside, all visitors had their temperature checked… ▼ Hand sanitisation stations with automatic sensors were in place for visitors to use before entering the building. The entrance looked very different to the one she was used to seeing pre-pandemic, with covered walkways now set up to keep crowds separated. ▼ After a short two-minute walk she found herself outside the Kokugikan (National Hall), the venue for the current 14-28 March tournament. ![]() ▼ Ikuna boarded a train at Shinjuku and alighted at Ryogoku, the closest station to the sumo stadium. So what exactly are those countermeasures, and are they enough to make spectators feel safe during the pandemic? Our Japanese-language reporter Ikuna Kamezawa was keen to find the answers to these questions, so when tickets were released for this month’s Osaka tournament, which has been moved to Tokyo once again by the Japan Sumo Association, she booked herself a seat on opening day and headed out to investigate. The events in Tokyo went ahead with spectators reduced to 2,500 people, or around a quarter of the venue’s capacity, before being gradually increased to 5,000, with countermeasures in place to safeguard visitors from coronavirus transmission. After that, fans in Aichi and Fukuoka missed out on attending their local tournaments in July and November respectively, as these were moved to Tokyo to keep wrestlers from travelling outside of the capital during the pandemic. ![]() While the Osaka tournament in March 2020 went ahead without spectators for the first time in history, the Tokyo tournament in May was called off completely due to the state of emergency. Last year was a tough one for Japanese sumo, with the coronavirus pandemic throwing a spanner in the works for the sport’s annual indoor tournaments, which are traditionally held six times every year–three times at Tokyo’s Ryogoku Kokugikan and once each in Osaka, Aichi and Fukuoka prefectures. We take you through a day at the sumo, with all-new procedures, restrictions and perks for spectators. ![]()
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