Sumo wrestlers find a way to grapple with pandemic
Japan's famed sumo wrestlers have been forced out of the ring by the coronavirus, but they've found a novel way to showcase their moves while staying socially distant. Normally a full-contact sport, the grappling contests will instead take to the cloud for a special “air sumo” tournament. A sumo federation in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture, has organized a video contest to highlight the hard work of its young wrestlers. Hopefuls will submit home videos of their performances in three categories and will be judged by a panel of professionals in the National Sumo Kata Competition, the Yomiuri Shimbun said. In the Air Sumo stage, wrestlers will mime a match against an imaginary opponent for up to 90 seconds and the winner will be the one who submits the most inventive footage.
Organizer Akiyoshi Nagai hopes it will be a ray of light in dark times for shuttered sumo clubs across the country. “Some kids might even narrate their own performances, or enlist the help of family members for extra colour commentary,” he suggested. “The process of making submissions should be a fun experience in and of itself.”
London hopes hill will boost tourism
Tourism operators have a mountain to climb to rebuild their tattered industry, so what better place to start than a manufactured hill? A city council in central London is moving ahead with plans to build a 25-metre-high grass-covered pop-up viewing platform at one of its national monuments. The Marble Arch Hill will overlook the heritage-designated archway at the western end of Oxford Street, one of London's key shopping thoroughfares, and the green expanses of Hyde Park and Mayfair. Inside the structure, a hall will be used for events and exhibitions. Open for a planned six months beginning this summer, the project was jointly devised by Westminster council and the area's business improvement board as the British capital recovers from lockdowns. It's hoped up to 200,000 people from outside the city will visit the attraction as restrictions are slowly eased. Kay Buxton, chief executive of the Marble Arch business group, said visitors will see London from a “completely new perspective” when the structure is complete. She added: “Marble Arch Hill is a clarion call to the recovery of London's hospitality and leisure sector in an enduring, world-renowned destination.”