Sumo stable master, 2 wrestlers admit bout-fixing

Sources at the Japan Sumo Association say 2 sumo wrestlers and a stable master have admitted their involvement in match-fixing.

The sources say the 3 are former wrestler and current stable master Takenawa, as well as wrestlers Chiyohakuho in the 2nd tier juryo division and lower-ranked Enatsukasa. The sources say they made the admissions to questioning by the association's board on Wednesday.

The 3 are among 13 wrestlers and stable masters who exchanged or were mentioned in e-mails suggesting bout-fixing. Tokyo police found the texts on mobile phones of a wrestler and stable master. The phones were confiscated during a probe into illegal gambling on professional baseball games in the sumo world.

The sources say Takenawa and Chiyohakuho confessed to fixing bouts while Enatsukasa admitted his role as a go-between.

The sources also say Chiyohakuho has implicated another wrestler, apart from the 13 linked to the e-mails, as his opponent in a fixed bout.

The sumo association has set up a special investigative panel of outside experts to probe the allegations. On Thursday, the panel will begin questioning the 14 suspected wrestlers and stable masters to find out what took place and whether any others were involved.