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A tussle has broken out in Japan's tradition-bound sumo world
over the right to wear pants in the ring.
Gargantuan sumo wrestlers generally compete naked, except for a "mawashi," an
arrangement of wrapped cloth that protects the bare minimum.
Sumo's amateur association hit upon the idea of allowing shy youngsters to wear
"sumo pants," a more substantial garment similar to cycling shorts.
They hoped this would stop the decline in number of children taking up the sport.
"Pubescent kids are not going to want to take part if they don't look cool,"
according to one amateur sumo official quoted in a local newspaper.
The sport's professional body, the Nihon Sumo Kyokai, however, has made clear
that it will not allow wrestlers in pants to take part in youth tournaments at
the national stadium in Tokyo.
"The national stadium has its rules and ways of doing things," a Sumo Kyokai spokesman told the paper. "We have no intention of allowing children in
pants into the ring."