THE Japanese art of sumo wrestling isn’t something you’d expect to be taking off in a little town like Barnsley - but Richard Riggs is making sure the town is becoming the heart of the country’s push to becoming well-known for the sport. Sumo - known around the world for its distinctive kit and the size of its competitors - is the national sport of Japan which is the only country where it is practised professionally. But it’s not all about ‘big lads running at each other’, as Richard explains to Chronicle chief reporter Jack Tolson.
EVERYONE’S seen clips of sumo wrestling.
It looks an extreme sport where only the biggest and baddest people on the planet compete.
But that’s not the case, and Richard is hoping to change the stereotypes as he pushes for the sport to become prominent in the town he calls home.
The 35-year-old from Dodworth only picked up the sport in October 2022 but within a year was a part of the three-man team that headed to Tokyo to represent Great Britain at the World Sumo Wrestling Championships.
But how did he get into the niche sport in the first place?
He said: “I did karate when I was much, much younger.
“I’ve played rugby all my life but I stopped a few years ago.
“During lockdown I started watching the professional stuff and I thought that maybe it was something I can do.
“I started training down in Derby and then I managed to compete in the Tokyo World Championships - the rest is history.”
Richard now runs Barnsley Sumo Club who meet twice a month at the town centre.
Around ten members consistently attend the sessions - but the number is growing.
“I started the club in August and it’s been a real whirlwind,” he said.
“We’ve got ten people on the books and there’s more people who have said that they’re interested.
“It’s quite a niche sport but in these last couple of years the interest in it has gone through the roof.
“We’ve got a lot of people from a martial arts background, people with a rugby background - but then you’ve got people with no sporting background at all.
“It’s the type of thing that you can pick up at any age.”
And Richard is hoping the stereotype of some big lads running at each other is stopped, and he admits it’s a lot more technical than people think.
He added: “The professional sumo wrestling is where the stereotypes come from.
“There’s so much more to it than just some big lads running at each other.
“We do it in weight classes here - from 85 kilos to 115 kilos.
“We seem to get a lot of people on the lower end so that’s a lot more technical - it’s basically a different spot.
“But then you’ve got some on the upper end of the scale.”
And when Richard says that anyone can get involved, he’s right.
His dad, 62-year-old Nick, is one of the members at the group and he took part in his first competition earlier this month at Penistone Grammar School.
And despite Richard admitting his dad only came along to the first session to ensure he wasn’t the only one there, he’s stuck at it.
Nick told the Chronicle: “I did go along to make the numbers up the first week.
“I thought it was just about some lads knocking into each other but there’s a lot more to it.
“I’m now hooked.
“It was the speed of it that got me hooked.
“You’ve got to react so quickly.
“A match might only last ten, 20 or 30 seconds so you’ve got to be sure you’re ready.”
And even at the age of 62, he’s showing no signs of stopping.
“I’m still active at Wortley Rugby Club but sumo is a different challenge,” he said.
“The competition was hard.
“People from all over the UK came and enjoyed it.
“Everybody wants to win and I even bust open my nose.
“You have your right and then shake hands - that’s the end of it.”
National-level sumo wrestling is set to return to Barnsley in 2025 with the second annual inter-club Basho scheduled for the winter.
Barnsley Sumo Club will also be hosting the British Sumo Championships in the spring where the winners will be offered a place on Team GB at the World Sumo Championships in Bangkok, Thailand in September 2025.
And Richard is hopeful of making the sport integral to the town.
He added: “I want the club to continue to grow.
“I want to provide sessions for women’s sumo as well - I’m hoping that will continue to grow on the international stage.
“For me personally I want to be back competing again.
“I’ve been injured over the last year so I want to be facing everybody that I’ve been help train.
“For Barnsley it’s great that we’re able to hold these types of competitions - it’s really put us on the map.
“There’s stereotypes around Barnsley - like there is in sumo - but when people come up for the competitions they’re saying how much they enjoyed it.”
