Sports News | Top-ranked Sumo Wrestler Tests Positive for COVID-19
Get latest articles and stories on Sports at LatestLY. A top-ranked sumo wrestler has tested positive for the coronavirus.
Tokyo, Jan 5 (AP) A top-ranked sumo wrestler has tested positive for the coronavirus.
The Japan Sumo Association on Tuesday said the wrestler, who goes by the name of Hakuho, underwent a polymerase chain reaction after detecting problems with his sense of smell.
The Mongolian-born wrestler had been preparing for a tournament that begins this weekend. There was no immediate report on his exact condition.
He is the first among the top-ranked sumo wrestlers in Japan to test positive for COVID-19.
Hakuho is a “yokozuna,” a grand champion in sumo wrestling, and one of the best the traditional Japanese sport has ever seen. In an interview last year he pointed out that his late father was a silver medalist in wrestling for Mongolia in the 1968 Olympics. He also competed in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
Japan, with a population of 125 million, has managed the coronavirus pandemic relatively well, with about 3,500 deaths attributed to COVID-19.
But new cases have been surging over the last several weeks and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has been asked to impose a “state of emergency” for Tokyo and three neighboring prefectures. (AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)