In the rough-and-tumble world of sumo, rikishi have been unable to get up on their own power after hitting their heads during recent bouts and even have suffered serious injuries.

That prompted the Japan Sumo Association to hold a closed-door first aid training course at Tokyo’s Ryogoku Kokugikan for a wrestler in the event of an injury in the dohyo.

Kasugano, a JSA director and head of the association’s security headquarters, said he plans to organize more sessions in the future.

“We are facing the question of how promptly and appropriately we could have an injured person be seen by a doctor,” said Kasugano, the former sekiwake Tochinowaka. “I want to improve our security arrangements so rikishi can compete in bouts without concern.”

The first aid course was held on May 7 ahead of the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament, which ran from May 9 through May 23.

JSA officials are hoping that training sessions of the sort will help save wrestlers’ lives.

The JSA officials said the session was attended by about 60 people who are by the ringside during sumo bouts, including stablemasters in charge of refereeing and arena security, as well as “yobidashi” callers.

The participants received training, for example, in using a stretcher to carry a fallen rikishi under the guidance of an expert.

No drill was conducted in the ring because the Dohyo Matsuri, a ritual supposedly for inviting gods from heaven and scheduled to be conducted on May 8, had yet to be held, the officials added.

The initial motivation for the training session came when a wrestler in the makushita division showed signs of a possible concussion following an initial charge in a bout during the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament in January, the officials explained.

Subsequently, Hibikiryu, a rikishi in the third-lowest sandanme division, injured his head and neck during the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in March and died of acute respiratory failure on April 28.

No medical workers are stationed near the ringside during the JSA’s grand sumo tournaments.

A doctor working for a clinic in Kokugikan rushed to the dohyo when Hibikiryu was injured. Hibikiryu had been injured for more than five minutes when officials finally used a stretcher to carry him out of the ring at the instructions of the doctor.

It remains unknown whether his death was related to the injury.

“I think an arrangement should be made so a doctor is always there watching the dohyo,” said Takashi Fuke, a medical practitioner who has served as a ring doctor for boxing and professional wrestling matches. “Injuries of the head or the neck can require a race against time.”

DOCTOR ON STANDBY NEAR JUDO TATAMI

In judo, another martial art, a doctor and other relief workers are on standby next to the tatami mats at competition venues. A growing number of opportunities are being made available for holding drills that simulate a serious accident.

An athlete with a neck injury could suffer secondary damage if he or she is moved carelessly without stabilizing the neck. The doctor and the other workers on the relief team should therefore carry an injured athlete with the head firmly braced, which requires good teamwork, officials said.

“Accident simulations and drills are very important for making sure an injured athlete will be handed over appropriately to a medical institution,” said Seiji Miyazaki, a deputy head of the All Japan Judo Federation’s medical science committee.

Rugby officials, for their part, focus on measures against concussions.

A medical practitioner who has taken a specialist course on head injuries is assigned to serve as a match doctor in the Japan Rugby Top League. A player with a suspected concussion must leave the game temporarily and is forbidden to continue playing if a doctor has decided the player has indeed suffered a concussion.

The JSA grand sumo tournaments are held over long hours, from morning through evening, a total of 90 days a year.

Katsuyuki Kamei, a professor of risk management with Kansai University, therefore pointed out that permanently stationing a doctor by the dohyo would be very costly and might be difficult from the standpoint of available personnel.

“I think people should receive training to make sure that if anything were to occur, a clinic doctor could rush promptly to the dohyo and officials by the ringside could provide assistance,” Kamei said. “It is so essential for people on the front lines to keep a worst-case scenario in mind.”