The 12th annual U.S. Sumo Open will take place on Saturday, Sept. 22, at 1 p.m. at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center’s Noguchi Plaza, 244 S. San Pedro St. in Little Tokyo. Gates open at 12 p.m.
This is one of the largest annual sumo tournaments in the U.S., an international spectacle with wrestlers from 10 or 11 countries competing.
Enjoy Japanese cuisine, beer, and sake while watching dozens of national and world sumo champions from around the world vying for the U.S. Sumo Open title. This is a rare opportunity to watch this caliber of sumo in the U.S.
Featured athletes include:
• Byambajav Ulambayar (Mongolia), 6’1″, 370 lbs. Three-time world sumo champion; nine U.S. Sumo Open gold medals
• Erdenebileg Alagdaa (Mongolia), 6’0″, 195 lbs. Eight U.S. Sumo Open medals
* Ramy Abd El Aty Ibrahim Belal (Egypt), 6’0″, 253 lbs. African sumo champion; international tourneys champion
• Aron Rozum (Poland), 6’2″, 187 lbs. Europe junior sumo champion; world junior sumo champion
• Trent Sabo (USA-Idaho), 5’8″, 187 lbs. Former No. 3 in the world
• Kelly Gneiting (USA-Arizona), 6’0″, 410 lbs. Three-time U.S. sumo champion
• Tyler Olsen (USA-Idaho), 5’9″, 220 lbs. U.S. sumo medalist
• Siosifa Isamau (Tonga), 6’1″, 330 lbs. Three-time U.S. Sumo Open medalist
Tickets are $20 general, $10 for pre-teens, $40 for VIP reserved seating (first two rows). For tickets, call the JACCC during business hours at (213) 628-2725 (no surcharge) or click here to order online (surcharge applies).
Note: The competition takes place in an outdoor venue, with direct sunshine on some seats. Attendees are asked to consider appropriate attire, based on weather conditions. For both general admission and VIPs, those who arrive earlier will have a better choice of seating location.
For more information, visit www.usasumo.com or www.jaccc.org.