Sumo hit by match-fixing scandal The 15-day tournament scheduled for March was canceled after an emergency meeting, the Japan's Kyodo news agency reported.
The decision comes after last week's revelation that three wrestlers had admitted to rigging bouts.
Tokyo Police found suspicious messages on various wrestlers' phones that suggested the outcome of several fights had been planned, Kyodo said.
''Sumo is our national sport. If match-fixing has occurred, it is a very serious betrayal of the people,'' said Hanaregoma, chairman of Japan Sumo Association. He addressed the scandal Sunday at a televised news conference.
"This (scandal) left the worst dirty point in the long history of sumo," the chairman said.
Japan's prime minister also spoke about the scandal.
''Sumo is our national sport. If match-fixing has occurred, it is a very serious betrayal of the people,'' Naoto Kan, the country's prime minister, has said.
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