Corona and sumo

[Kamitsuumi 402]

Four Kokonoe rikishi discharged, ex-Chiyotaikai still hospitalized. 

[pricklypomegranate 730]

On 23/01/2021 at 14:33, I am the Yokozuna said:

It is interesting and revealing that there has been no in-basho en masse testing of all wrestlers. From what I have read in the European football leagues, the footballers/team personnel get tested twice a week. If you do not test, you do not detect, if you do not plan testing, you are basically saying we do not believe in the severity and urgency of the current situation. 

During his commentary on one of the earlier days of the basho, Murray did bring up people who asked him whether the whole organisation and their associates would be tested if Hakuho hadn't got infected. I don't want him to keep going kyujo or be sick and isolated from his loved ones either, but perhaps it was destined and best he had the virus. Otherwise, people like the Kokonoe-beya rikishi might have entered and it would have been a total catastrophe - it's a miracle that nothing happened on the Kyokai's or the spectators end and the basho went smoothly. 

Edited January 24, 2021 by pricklypomegranate

[Sue 520]

54 minutes ago, pricklypomegranate said:

t's a miracle that nothing happened on the Kyokai's or the spectators end and the basho went smoothly. 

We won't actually know for a couple of weeks whether nothing actually happened; if the basho turned out to be a superspreader event, it wouldn't necessarily be evident yet.

Edited January 24, 2021 by Sue

[Kintamayama 45,522]

Three more Kokonoe lads infected.

[robnplunder 976]

Once a basho starts, I thought it would not be canceled no matter what happens.  They will find a way to keep the basho going somehow, someway.  

[Yamanashi 3,903]

6 minutes ago, robnplunder said:

Once a basho starts, I thought it would not be canceled no matter what happens.  They will find a way to keep the basho going somehow, someway.  

Amen.  How many rikishi went kyujo during the tournament because of COVID?

How many will be listed as positive two days after senshuraku?

[Kaminariyuki 500]

I'm sure this was addressed earlier but did the folks who were forced to sit out the basho for quarantine reasons, like the Miyagino beya boys, all get 0-0-15 and 0-0-7 records?

Edited January 25, 2021 by Kaminariyuki

[Tsuchinoninjin 1,276]

5 hours ago, Kaminariyuki said:

I'm sure this was addressed earlier but did the folks who were forced to sit out the basho for quarantine reasons, like the Miyagino beya boys, all get 0-0-15 and 0-0-7 records?

Last I read it still wasn't decided.

[serge_gva 52]

On 22/01/2021 at 11:27, Kintamayama said:

money wise, is that the normal fee for jobs like that? Around 8 bucks an hour?

Some years ago it was the basis salary for a student job as cashier in a convini or waiter in a Sukiya. So nothing surprising in my opinion. What surprises me more is that a young person does this work. It seemed to me that it was rather reserved for people of a certain age (at the time, young people were more into handkerchief distribution, but we see less of them).

Compared to the price level in Japan, I also find it low.

Edited January 26, 2021 by serge_gva

[Kintamayama 45,522]

Banzuke decisions: All Covid related kyujo Makushita rikishi and under retain their ranks. Sekitori? Isegahama Oyakata: "We made the banzuke while treating all kyujo sekitori fairly.  Going into particulars will make the banzuke known.. It's not that someone may be put at a disadvantage - we have treated all of them fairly. That's all I can say.." So no official declaration of their keeping their ranks, which makes for a cool GTB, although I personally am pretty sure they all retained their ranks..

Edited January 27, 2021 by Kintamayama

[Asojima 2,874]

42 minutes ago, Kintamayama said:

Banzuke decisions: All Covid related kyujo Makushita rikishi and under retain their ranks. Sekitori? Isegahama Oyakata: "We made the banzuke while treating all kyujo sekitori fairly.  Going into particulars will make the banzuke known.. It's not that someone may be put at a disadvantage - we have treated all of them fairly. That's all I can say.." So no official declaration of their keeping their ranks, which makes for a cool GTB, although I personally am pretty sure they all retained their ranks..

I am reading that as essentially we are treating the missing sekitori as having an 8-8 basho.  There may be some minor + or - adjustments to accomodate other's banzuke luck, but none of the kyujoees will be seriously impacted.  If so, GTB will get interesting.

Edited January 27, 2021 by Asojima

[WAKATAKE 2,671]

40 minutes ago, Kintamayama said:

Banzuke decisions: All Covid related kyujo Makushita rikishi and under retain their ranks. Sekitori? Isegahama Oyakata: "We made the banzuke while treating all kyujo sekitori fairly.  Going into particulars will make the banzuke known.. It's not that someone may be put at a disadvantage - we have treated all of them fairly. That's all I can say.." So no official declaration of their keeping their ranks, which makes for a cool GTB, although I personally am pretty sure they all retained their ranks..

When it was two people it was easy. It's a lot harder to maintain when you have to take 15 people into consideration. My guess is the bottleneck in Juryo has a lot to do with this decision.

Edited January 27, 2021 by WAKATAKE

[Kintamayama 45,522]

2 hours ago, Asojima said:

I am reading that as essentially we are treating the missing sekitori as having an 8-8 basho.  There may be some minor + or - adjustments to accomodate other's banzuke luck, but none of the kyujoees will be seriously impacted.  If so, GTB will get interesting.

I have to agree with that. 

[Gaijingai 1,597]

http://www.asahi.com/sp/ajw/articles/14140386

someone’s in big trouble. 

[Yamanashi 3,903]

3 minutes ago, Gaijingai said:

http://www.asahi.com/sp/ajw/articles/14140386

someone’s in big trouble. 

While it sounds like the oyakata is in double secret probation, the story leaves me bewildered. These public figures are being scorned for breaking the "curfew", but for the most part the miscreant couldn't have violated the lockdown unless other members of the public were there, too, keeping the establishment in business.  So, is the rule that only "public figures" can't go out?

[Kintamayama 45,522]

11 hours ago, Asojima said:

I am reading that as essentially we are treating the missing sekitori as having an 8-8 basho.  There may be some minor + or - adjustments to accomodate other's banzuke luck, but none of the kyujoees will be seriously impacted.  If so, GTB will get interesting.

People in the know are saying "small adjustments to the sekitori virus absentees' ranks will be made to accommodate those that actually participated in the basho and their records." The talk is of a one rank demotion for some.

Edited January 27, 2021 by Kintamayama

[Kintamayama 45,522]

March basho may be held in Tokyo after all, depending on how bad the pandemic situation will be.  The discussion will be tomorrow at the regular  rijikai..

Edited January 27, 2021 by Kintamayama

[Gaijingai 1,597]

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20210128/p2g/00m/0sp/023000c

today’s news on it. 

[dada78641 884]

20 hours ago, Gaijingai said:

http://www.asahi.com/sp/ajw/articles/14140386

someone’s in big trouble. 

I initially thought he went out after the basho, but it turns out it was during:

Stablemaster Tokitsukaze went to a mah-jongg parlor during the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament, which ended on Jan. 24, in violation of the Japan Sumo Association’s guidelines to prevent infections, sources said on Jan. 27.

Really makes you wonder how many other violations have occurred during the tournament itself. If one person taking part in the basho is infected, everybody is infected. It would be unfair if they didn't crack down hard on him, especially since it's not his first violation.

[Kintamayama 45,522]

16 minutes ago, dada78641 said:

I initially thought he went out after the basho, but it turns out it was during:

Stablemaster Tokitsukaze went to a mah-jongg parlor during the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament, which ended on Jan. 24, in violation of the Japan Sumo Association’s guidelines to prevent infections, sources said on Jan. 27.

Really makes you wonder how many other violations have occurred during the tournament itself. If one person taking part in the basho is infected, everybody is infected. It would be unfair if they didn't crack down hard on him, especially since it's not his first violation.

There is a whole thread regarding this..

[Kintamayama 45,522]

The last of the Kokonoe beya personnel who were in hospital have left the hospital, including Kokonoe Oyakata. 17 in all were infected. 

[Kintamayama 45,522]

A Makushita or under rikishi has been tested positive for the virus today. The kyokai allowed the rikishi to return home for a few days after obtaining their oyakatas' consent and on condition they undergo a test upon their return. Since he was away from the heya for four days he had no contact with his heya mates. No symptoms, no heya name divulged. "We will decide if the heya will be quarantined or not soon," added Shibatayama oyakata. 

Edited January 31, 2021 by Kintamayama

[Kintamayama 45,522]

On 31/01/2021 at 10:45, Kintamayama said:

A Makushita or under rikishi has been tested positive for the virus today. 

The same rikishi tested positive in December as well. "According to the doctor, he may never have actually fully recovered and was still ill.. More than investigating where he caught it, they are interested in where in his body the virus settled.. It seems it is not a new infection, " explained Shibatayama PR man. He is asymptomatic. 

Edited February 1, 2021 by Kintamayama

[Jakusotsu 6,049]

Well, if you're only testing for antibodies...

[Reonito 1,519]

15 hours ago, Kintamayama said:

The same rikishi tested positive in December as well. "According to the doctor, he may never have actually fully recovered and was still ill.. More than investigating where he caught it, they are interested in where in his body the virus settled.. It seems it is not a new infection, " explained Shibatayama PR man. He is asymptomatic. 

You can keep testing positive by PCR for quite a while after an infection. The virus is gone, but some RNA hangs around and the test is sensitive enough to pick it up.