Mongolian sumo wrestler appointed grand champion

A Mongolian sumo wrestler has been promoted to the sport's highest rank in a ceremony on Friday.

Hoshoryu, real name Sugarragchaa Byambasuren, became the 74th yokozuna, or grand champion, after winning a major tournament last week.

To become a yokozuna, the wrestler must not only achieve great sporting success but also display good conduct and be approved by a board of judges.

Hoshoryu's uncle Asashoryu, a former yokozuna who was known as the bad boy of sumo, was forced to quit the sport in 2010 after breaking a man's nose in a drunken brawl outside a nightclub.

But Hoshoryu has already indicated he wants to follow a different path to his uncle, whose own ceremony took place 22 years ago to the day.

"I want to act properly as a yokozuna and do my best," he said.

Around 3,500 fans arrived at the Meiji Shine in Tokyo to see the 25-year-old complete a number of rituals to receive his new title.

He was handed a white rope belt worn by yokozuna, which he put on for his ring-entering ceremony.

During this, he clapped his hands, stamped his feet and sat in a low crouch for several minutes as the crowd applauded.

"I practised a lot but I was still more nervous than I expected," he said.

"I think I did it properly though."

Unlike other ranks, a yokozuna cannot be demoted and is expected to retire if their level of sumo decreases.

Multiple wrestlers can hold the rank at any given time, but Hoshoryu will stand alone at the top after the last remaining grand champion Terunofuji, 34, announced his retirement earlier this month.

His appointment has avoided the sport having no grand champion for the first time in more than 30 years.

Mongolians have dominated sumo for the past 25 years.

Since the turn of the century, six of the seven wrestlers promoted to yokozuna hailed from the Asian country.

Japan's only new champion during that period, Kisenosato, held the rank for less than two years.

"Mongolians do so well because their national wrestling style, Bokh, is very similar," Rob Ó Néill, president of the British Sumo Federation, told the BBC.

In Bokh, fighters rely on leg sweeps, which are legal in sumo but were uncommon until the wave of Mongolian fighters turned professional.

"It was like a kickboxer fighting a boxer," Mr Ó Néill said.

Although the Japanese fighters have improved at defending these moves, they are a fundamental part of the Mongolian fighting philosophy in a way they are not in Japan.

Sumo is a highly traditional sport that takes time to adjust.

Another reason behind the success of the Mongolians is that they start wrestling from a very young age.

"They're also absolutely huge guys," Mr Ó Néill added.

Unlike other combat sports, professional sumo does not have weight categories.

To be a professional, fighters must eat, sleep and train with one another in a type of training hall called a stable.

There are currently around 40 stables officially recognised by the Japan Sumo Association.

"It's their entire way of life from when they join to when they retire," Rob said.

Restaurants serving chanko, a type of stew eaten in vast quantities by the wrestlers, are often opened by former fighters near stables.

Each is only allowed to train one foreign wrestler, and as Japan is the only country with professional sumo, the majority of fighters are homegrown.

The winner of the men's amateur Sumo World Championships, which fields competitors from almost 90 countries, is invited to join a stable.