Russian sumo wrestler denies marijuana use; wants new test

rjd,

You are such a righteous defender, and yet you have no idea what you are talking about. I would WITHOUT A DOUBT question the validity of litmus type drug test whether it was a Japanese wrestler or otherwise. THERE IS NO CHANCE I would use double standards in this or any other situation regarding Japanese and foreign crimes that are 'alleged' with almost no proof to back it up. I've been in Japan for decades, have a Japanese wife, Japanese children, Japanese parents (in-law) and live in a rural area of, yup - you guessed it, Japan!

By confirming it was the two Russians, they played the "guilty until proven innocent" card that is so frequently used here. Oops... maybe I'm being KY again.

Yes you are. If you check the "Crime" section on this website, the "guilt" is presumed even though the person was just "arrested". Only when there is a foreigner involved is when the usual crowd plays the "What happened to innocent until proven guilty?" or "he was set up!!" card.

Funny, since this is a foreign wrestler of non Japanese extraction, we have the sherlock holmes' here automatically questioning the accuracy of the drug test, bringing in 'x-files' type paranoia conspiracy, and other laughable non issues. This simply would not happen if it was a Japanese sumo wrestler, in that case the presumption is the 120 percent guilt of the Jp sumo wrestler by default. Unfortunate double standards, he tested positive, now he's trying the old "I'm innocent" plea and trying to make it seem like the Japanese system is totally biased against foreigners like him.

Just checking, but when did Marijuana become a "Performance Enhancing Drug" ?

Doesn't have to be performance enhancing, you can get kicked from the olympics for testing postive for THC.

Sumo is just a fake sport not unlike WWE, it could be all for show. http://articles.latimes.com/2007/mar/15/world/fg-sumo15

Cannabis: the drug any ramen eater will test positive for.

Poor sods. I saw it during the Nagano Olympics. As an athlete who was tested more than twenty times and as a researcher for IAAF banned substances I have known for years that people are being punished for ingesting cannabis seeds used in spice mixes. Worse still is that cannabis resin oil used in a number of Asian cuisines will produce positive tests. Even more likely to register positive than for smoking the weed. Japanese police are aware of the fact - in Hiroshima they told me that the seeds (which are sold in any pet food shop, spice shop...) are not illegal except when cultivated.

some pain relievers uses the active substance of dope to control pain. It is actually a very good drug to give for patients suffering from cancer as an alternative to morphine. It is possible that the Russian brothers are taking medications that may contain the active substance

KissMint, Thanks. Actually, I understood the reference but was just hoping that Nigelboy would take a minute to explain why he would say such a thing.

No matter what the outcome will be they`re screwed! Playing with the authorities here will give you nothing but stress and anger. Ex pats need assistance from their countries to fight this nonsense and it should be firm assistance.

I just cant believe that it was only the 2 foreign wrestlers who were nailed. WoW! And it was behind closed doors too so you cant get the honest truth and trust from these people. If ruining lives is some kind of fun/games that these Japanese authorities like/are playin, it is a sad world. Why arent the public questioning anything? is my question.

"KY" is an abbreviation for 空気読めない = kuuki yomenai >>> used to describe people who are rather unperceptive or can't read between the lines/get a correct sense of the atmosphere.

I don't think using KY as above makes sense... or perhaps I'm being KY. (I also thought it was mostly used by J-teens, and additionally find it rather strange that it's being dropped in the middle of an English discussion... I think most English speakers would think it a reference to the jelly... :-)

Back on topic: If they hadn't released any names, the media could only speculate as to who was under suspicion. By confirming it was the two Russians, they played the "guilty until proven innocent" card that is so frequently used here. Oops... maybe I'm being KY again.

it is a conspiracy of epic proportions!:p

A Russian sumo wrestler who tested positive for marijuana use said Wednesday he has never used the drug and called for a new test... for what?, one test is enough

Whats the problem moderator? kma

BTW, read this thread again. The first person to bring up 'race' was you with your childish, off topic remark about expats (foreigners).

nigelboy,

The amount of "KY" expats here are appalling. Please explain.

WHAT IF----WHAT IF, the Mongolians don't want Russian competition and are using sneaky tricks to eliminate them!!!??

Thundercat.

I never said he was being set up.

I never said you did. I simply asked "who" would set it up if it was a set up.

Can you please explain why the results of a preliminary test were released when a conclusive test hadn't even been conducted yet?

Good question. According to couple sources.

The original intention was to report the findings after the final extensive test. However,

Some of the reporters at the scene were already aware of the fact that out of the 69 wrestlers who were at the meeting, only 2 (Roho and Hakurozan) only two remained in the room when everybody else was dismissed. Please note that during that time, both Roho and Hakurozan requested that the same urine samples be tested again. (Which JADA did, 3 times for Roho)

They determined that it was best to release the results.

Shohei Ohnishi, member of Japan Anti Doping Agency (JADA), stated that the positive results in this test is not the final conclusion. However, he was dissapointed that the media didn't not EMPHASIZE this.

http://www.iza.ne.jp/news/newsarticle/print/sports/sumo/175535/ http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/sumo/news/p-sp-tp3-20080904-404551.html

Whether they should of or shouldn't of released the names are debatable for the media frenzy would of been chaotic for both scenarios.

I think conspiracies are generally the stuff of movies..

I think a more plausible conspiracy would be that indeed, these test turns out to be negative(because the urine samples were kept in custody by the JSA) and Kitanoumi remains as the head even though the media and the Japanese public for that matter want to see him get nailed to the coffin.

Just leave the "race" stuff out since the media and the Japanese public are more concerned about Kitanoumi.

The amount of "KY" expats here are appalling.

Just checking, but when did Marijuana become a "Performance Enhancing Drug" ? ;> This smells like a skunk, pun intended.

The question here is who conducted the test?

Was it a WADA sanctioned anti doping test? Or did the JSA cobble together some local test?

If it wasn't sanctioned by WADA and wasn't done in an accredited lab then the Court of Arbitration for Sport, (the highest sports court in the world) can and would likely toss out the results.

Nothing has been mentioned about an A or B sample which makes me believe that this wasn't a proper drug test.

Wakanoho should come see me and I'll get him back to wrestling within a few months along with a nice pay packet and an apology from the JSA.

The JSA think they can walk all over athletes but they often forget that they themselves must abide by the rules of CAS and the IOC. After all they signed up to be recognized as part of the Olympic sports family. It could come back to haunt them if one of the wrestlers got wise and decided to sue them in a Swiss court.

Further you can't ban an athlete for life until they have had a proper hearing. You can suspend them but you can't do what the JSA did.

Nigelboy, calm down and read again. I never said he was being set up. You are so biased it blinds you. The point I was trying to make is that you have no proof that there isn't a set up. That is simply your opinion.

Can you please explain why the results of a preliminary test were released when a conclusive test hadn't even been conducted yet? The only reason I can think of is that there is an attempt to sensationalize the story and ruin someone's name without sufficient proof. Do you have a different explanation?

I think conspiracies are generally the stuff of movies... but since you asked, does Kitanoumi have any rivals for his position? That would be a good motive for setting up one of his wrestlers. There are lots of other equally plausible scenarios... Now, before you make the accusation, I don't believe any of the conspiracy theories surrounding this case. I simply think there is room for error in these types of tests.

BTW your condescension reveals you insecurity. Aren't you an expat? How do you sleep at night??

Perhaps Kitanoumi is willing to take a bit of heat so that the Russians will be forced out. He gets embarrassed publicly, then makes his apologies, but in the end he's still head of the JSA and the Russians are gone.

Set up by whom? Japan Sumo Association headed by Kitanoumi even though one of the alleged is his own and if tested positive, it will likely call for his dismissal?

Oh yeah! Nobody ever stabs one of their own in the back! Of course! What were we thinking!

--Cirroc

Before "legitimate" drug tests are done, the person who gives the specimen fills out a form that has questions regarding medication taken within the last month or so. I wonder if they bothered to ask?

This case seems to be just plain generalizing. They seem to want to say that Russian sumo wrestlers = drug users. If they want to check for drugs, either test everyone or test randomly.

Anyone who claims these guys aren't being set up should think about that for a moment.

Set up by whom? Japan Sumo Association headed by Kitanoumi even though one of the alleged is his own and if tested positive, it will likely call for his dismissal?

How do expats here sleep at night?

'alleged beating' ??? What kind of BS white wash is that? It's a very well established fact that the young sumo wrestler was beaten to death.

CavemanLawyer, funny stuff!

LFRAgain, I think the implication is that he feels the first tests were bungled.

BTW, the person who performed the test explained that there are a variety of reasons a positive result can occur. One of which was taking prescription drugs... This begs the question, why were the results released before they were confirmed? Anyone who claims these guys aren't being set up should think about that for a moment.

Although, “I want another test . . . at a hospital I can trust" sounds suspiciously like he wants the opportunity to find a facility that will be more inclined to", say, produce more favorable results, with, of course, the proper motivation?

In any case, perhaps this is the magic bullet the traditionalists in sumo were looking for to finally force dominating foreign competitors out of the sport. If they can convince the public that foreign athletes are unreliable, lying, drug-using layabouts, then that's half the battle to getting foreigners out of the sport for good. Is that what's happening here? Perhaps not. But I wouldn't put it past some in the media and the sport itself.

It is relevant to an extent, although if someone had initially brought it up in these comments I feel it would have been removed.

Will be very interesting to see the new results of the test. If they prove negative will the public forgive him and put the knives away they had out for him?

Since they are spiking your food with THC, a new test won't help you pal.

--Cirroc

"is it relevant to this article? Just to disgrace Sumo-kyokai and Yokozuna?"

It is relevant to the article where it lists the number of scamdals that have fallen upon the sumo association of late. And it's not the only scandal mentioned.

Last year, grand champion Asashoryu was given an unprecedented two-tournament suspension after claiming an injury and missing summer tour events, only to be shown later on television playing football in his native Mongolia.

is it relevant to this article? Just to disgrace Sumo-kyokai and Yokozuna?