Big year for Tonga sumo [1]
Tuesday, January 30, 2001 - 10:00. Updated on Monday, August 17, 2020 - 17:15.
From Matangi Tonga Magazine, Vol. 15, no. 4, January 2001.
The Tonga Sumo Federation is starting off the 21st Century with a big bang. Two young Tongan wrestlers Tevita Taufa of Nomuka and Minaminoshima Falevai of Ha‘ateiho in early January joined professional Sumo wrestling stables in Japan, and at the same time a Japanese Sumo coach, Mr Miyazaki started coaching future Tongan Sumo wrestlers in Tonga.
Naoko Afeaki, the secretary of the Tonga Sumo Federation, said that Tevita would join the professional stable, Tagonoura-beya, in Saitama, and Minaminoshima would join the professional stable, Musashigawa-beya, in Tokyo, the same stable of the part-Tongan wrestler Musashimaru.
Naoko said that Mr Miyazaki was brought to Tonga through the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers and he would be working very closely with the Tongan Sumo coach ‘Alani Falevai. Tonga will host the Oceania Sumo Championship in June.