The Yomiuri Shimbun
Starting from today, The Daily Yomiuri will periodically carry translations taken from monthly magazine Ozumo, which is published by The Yomiuri Shimbun.
Ozumo
Allegations of yaocho, or match-fixing, have been a blight on sumo for years. However, the can of worms opened by the Shukan Gendai magazine in a series of articles earlier this year that claimed yokozuna Asashoryu and other senior wrestlers were rigging bouts so infuriated the Japan Sumo Association it decided to file a civil suit against the publisher, its managing editor and the writer of the articles, seeking damages and a full apology.
Splashed across one page was a headline alleging Asashoryu was involved in fixing matches, and that only four of his 15 bouts in the 2006 Kyushu Tournament--which he won with a perfect record--were not decided beforehand.
The article, by freelance writer Yorimasa Takeda, claimed the yokozuna was buying bouts for 800,000 yen a pop, with makushita wrestler Kyokutenzan acting as his go-between.
For pro sumo, the timing of the articles could not have been worse. The magazine hit the stands the day after the end of the New Year Tournament, which Asashoryu had won for his fourth straight Emperor's Cup and 20th overall. Sumo's revival, which strong attendances at the tournament suggested was burgeoning, was now threatened.
Faced with this threat to sumo's reputation and its hopes for renewed popularity, the association acted fast.
By Feb. 2, Asashoryu's stablemaster Takasago oyakata and 16 rikishi, including the yokozuna, had been questioned by Tomozuna oyakata, head of a committee in charge of investigating alleged irregularities that include wrestlers not fighting "wholeheartedly."
Also involved in the hearings were Isegahama oyakata, deputy head of the committee, and Keiji Isaji, an association lawyer.
All the wrestlers accused by Shukan Gendan vociferously denied match-fixing. The suit, which could expand to include Estonian maegashira Baruto after he was implicated in a later article, is expected to demand damages of several hundred million yen, with sources saying an out-of-court settlement is "out of the question."
Takeda's credentials have raised a few eyebrows. Born in 1958, he first worked as a reporter for an aviation journal before going freelance. His claims to have been covering sumo since 1988 have been challenged by beat reporters, who say they have never seen Takeda in dressing rooms during tournaments.
The timing of the allegations could be linked to Shukan Gendai's faltering sales. According to the Japan Audit Bureau of Circulations, sales of the magazine fell by almost 30 percent in the four years through 2006 to about 440,000 copies per issue.
Faced with an evaporating readership, the magazine had a major revamp at the end of last year. However, the Jan. 6 and 13 joint issue of the remodeled magazine immediately left egg on the face of publisher Kodansha Ltd. when a story claiming one of the returned abductees from North Korea had also tried to abduct another person from Japan was described by the abductee in question as "ludicrous."
The magazine may also have overreached with its match-fixing allegations. The first article concerning match-fixing did not say "match-fixing was suspected," it said there "is no doubt" the fix was in for 11 of Asashoryu's 15 bouts at the Kyushu tournament.
The assertiveness of the wording is unusual, and is not supported by the evidence given. Although Takeda quotes 10 media sources in the four articles, these sports newspaper reporters, TV reporters and newspaper reporters speak of only hearsay and rumors that have been floating around for years.
More damning are allegations made by "active rikishi X," who claims, among other things, that Asashoryu "had no qualms about buying wins" and "that only four of the yokozuna's 15 bouts in Kyushu were not rigged."
The claims, if true, would be explosive. Yet despite the assertions made by rikishi X, no reliable evidence or documents to back up his accusations are provided.
This combination of hearsay and rumor puts the association and the wrestlers in an almost impossible position. Proving that something does not exist is much more difficult than proving something does.
To dispel the seeds of suspicion that have been planted in fans' minds, the wrestlers will have to leave blood, sweat and tears every time they step on the dohyo.
===
Baruto out of Spring basho
The Daily Yomiuri
Estonian No. 13 maegashira Baruto on Thursday pulled out of the upcoming S pring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka. The 22-year-old is still not fully recovered from the left knee injury he s uffered in his bout against new sekiwake Kotoshogiku at January's New Year b asho. "It's impossible for him," Onoe oyakata said of his marquee wrestler, who was b oth philosophical and defiant in the face of certain demotion to juryo. "It can't be helped," Baruto said, "but I will be back for next tournament, andI
will do my best there."
(Mar. 9, 2007)
Friday, March 9, 2007
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Hawai'i sumo champion still a big hit
Hawai'i's 6-foot-3, 500-pound Musashimaru dwarfs 5-foot, 94-pound Lyubov Denisova, the 2006 Honolulu Marathon winner.
Even now, more than two years into his retirement from the ring, Fiamalu Penitani said he sometimes has to remind himself that when young sumotori shout "oyakata" he is the sumo elder they are addressing.
He is the one they are bowing to and who they come to offer a ladle of water in a show of traditional training room deference.
"At first, I didn't pay attention because I didn't think they were talking to me," said the former Wai'anae High football player. "It doesn't seem like I'm that that old."
At age 36 the time has, indeed, gone fast for the man who competed for 18 years under the ring name Musashimaru and is back home this week helping to promote the 2007 Grand Sumo Tournament in Hawai'i June 9 to 10 at Blaisdell Center Arena.
Musashimaru was the last in a 40-year line of more then two dozen sumotori from Hawai'i to compete in Japan's national sport when he retired in 2004. From a raw aspirant fresh out of high school he achieved one of the fastest climbs up the sumo rankings, eventually becoming the 67th yokozuna and winner of 12 Emperor's Cups in the centuries-old sport.
Now he coaches at the Musashigawa stable in Tokyo, where he once apprenticed and lived in communal space. He helps direct predawn practices, showing young sumotori the time-honored, bruising fundamentals of the sport. He lives within walking distance of the stable in a low-rise Nippori neighborhood where he is treated as a deity, passersby bowing in his presence. His is one of the sport's most recognized faces in part thanks to something of a resemblance with the revered historic figure Saigo Takamori
(1827-'77).
Yet even as Musashimaru helps prepare wannabe champions - some just out of junior high school - for their futures, his own is in the back of his mind. He said he hasn't made a commitment yet on whether he will stay in the only profession he has ever known, though decision day is approaching.
As a former grand champion, Musashimaru was given a five-year dispensation at ring retirement, allowing him to stay in the sport and draw an elder's salary. But when 2009 rolls around he will either have to purchase stock in the ruling Japan Sumo Association, where the stock would allow him to remain until the mandatory retirement age of 65, or he must leave the sport.
The stock - when available - can be expensive, as much as "$2 million" according to Musashimaru. And while he has saved well, Musashimaru said he will talk to the stable and its booster club about support.
Whether he remains in the sport or moves on, Musashimaru said sumo has allowed him to grow in ways beyond his imposing 6-foot-3, and nearly 500-pound frame. It gave him an opportunity to "make my own way" and showed the way. Without the demands of sumo and its discipline, Musashimaru said, "I don't know where I'd be. Probably a bad boy."
Even now, more than two years into his retirement from the ring, Fiamalu Penitani said he sometimes has to remind himself that when young sumotori shout "oyakata" he is the sumo elder they are addressing.
He is the one they are bowing to and who they come to offer a ladle of water in a show of traditional training room deference.
"At first, I didn't pay attention because I didn't think they were talking to me," said the former Wai'anae High football player. "It doesn't seem like I'm that that old."
At age 36 the time has, indeed, gone fast for the man who competed for 18 years under the ring name Musashimaru and is back home this week helping to promote the 2007 Grand Sumo Tournament in Hawai'i June 9 to 10 at Blaisdell Center Arena.
Musashimaru was the last in a 40-year line of more then two dozen sumotori from Hawai'i to compete in Japan's national sport when he retired in 2004. From a raw aspirant fresh out of high school he achieved one of the fastest climbs up the sumo rankings, eventually becoming the 67th yokozuna and winner of 12 Emperor's Cups in the centuries-old sport.
Now he coaches at the Musashigawa stable in Tokyo, where he once apprenticed and lived in communal space. He helps direct predawn practices, showing young sumotori the time-honored, bruising fundamentals of the sport. He lives within walking distance of the stable in a low-rise Nippori neighborhood where he is treated as a deity, passersby bowing in his presence. His is one of the sport's most recognized faces in part thanks to something of a resemblance with the revered historic figure Saigo Takamori
(1827-'77).
Yet even as Musashimaru helps prepare wannabe champions - some just out of junior high school - for their futures, his own is in the back of his mind. He said he hasn't made a commitment yet on whether he will stay in the only profession he has ever known, though decision day is approaching.
As a former grand champion, Musashimaru was given a five-year dispensation at ring retirement, allowing him to stay in the sport and draw an elder's salary. But when 2009 rolls around he will either have to purchase stock in the ruling Japan Sumo Association, where the stock would allow him to remain until the mandatory retirement age of 65, or he must leave the sport.
The stock - when available - can be expensive, as much as "$2 million" according to Musashimaru. And while he has saved well, Musashimaru said he will talk to the stable and its booster club about support.
Whether he remains in the sport or moves on, Musashimaru said sumo has allowed him to grow in ways beyond his imposing 6-foot-3, and nearly 500-pound frame. It gave him an opportunity to "make my own way" and showed the way. Without the demands of sumo and its discipline, Musashimaru said, "I don't know where I'd be. Probably a bad boy."
Friday, February 9, 2007
Sumo has bigger problems than bribery to worry about
Accusations of bribery are as old as the ancient sport of sumo itself, though in the past proponents were much more open about bouts being fixed, according to Shukan Asahi (2/16).
In the Taisho Era (1912-1925), there used to be an inspector who would accuse grapplers of fixing matches and make them re-fight seriously on the spot.
But the claims by Shukan Gendai that Yokozuna Asashoryu paid 11 of his 15 opponents to lose in the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament last year rocked the sumo world. Asashoryu and the other wrestlers questioned over the claims have all denied any wrongdoing. Nonetheless, the struggling sport copped another blow it didn't really need.
"Before the Japan Sumo Association made a decision that there has not been any bout-fixing, it should be posting inspectors at the shitakubeya preparation room and getting them to keep an eye out on any wrestler acting suspiciously. They already knew what the result of the probe would be before they even started carrying it out this time," a veteran JSA member tells Shukan Asahi. "Unless they solve this, sumo runs the risk of losing even more of its popularity."
Sumo journalist Shigeru Nakazawa says there are problems other than the fixing allegations.
"Regardless of whether there was any fixing going on or not, what can't be denied is that a yokozuna who barely practices still manages to win tournaments while barely raising a sweat. The four ozeki who are supposed to beat the yokozuna never looked like doing so," Nakazawa says. "Sumo is trying to give across this message that everybody is always practicing really hard, but when you look at the results that are coming up, it shows you that nothing much is going on at all."
People in Tokyo may not have given up on sumo yet, but the next tournament is in March in Osaka, a city known for its citizens' parsimoniousness.
"There are some stalls complaining that customers are already demanding their money back. But there won't be any payments coming out of a place that's worth nothing," Nakazawa tells Shukan Asahi. "Osakans are a lot more outspoken than people from Tokyo, who'll put up with stuff it is makes them look good. Osakans won't put up with wrestlers not giving it their all." (By Ryann Connell)
February 6, 2007 ?
In the Taisho Era (1912-1925), there used to be an inspector who would accuse grapplers of fixing matches and make them re-fight seriously on the spot.
But the claims by Shukan Gendai that Yokozuna Asashoryu paid 11 of his 15 opponents to lose in the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament last year rocked the sumo world. Asashoryu and the other wrestlers questioned over the claims have all denied any wrongdoing. Nonetheless, the struggling sport copped another blow it didn't really need.
"Before the Japan Sumo Association made a decision that there has not been any bout-fixing, it should be posting inspectors at the shitakubeya preparation room and getting them to keep an eye out on any wrestler acting suspiciously. They already knew what the result of the probe would be before they even started carrying it out this time," a veteran JSA member tells Shukan Asahi. "Unless they solve this, sumo runs the risk of losing even more of its popularity."
Sumo journalist Shigeru Nakazawa says there are problems other than the fixing allegations.
"Regardless of whether there was any fixing going on or not, what can't be denied is that a yokozuna who barely practices still manages to win tournaments while barely raising a sweat. The four ozeki who are supposed to beat the yokozuna never looked like doing so," Nakazawa says. "Sumo is trying to give across this message that everybody is always practicing really hard, but when you look at the results that are coming up, it shows you that nothing much is going on at all."
People in Tokyo may not have given up on sumo yet, but the next tournament is in March in Osaka, a city known for its citizens' parsimoniousness.
"There are some stalls complaining that customers are already demanding their money back. But there won't be any payments coming out of a place that's worth nothing," Nakazawa tells Shukan Asahi. "Osakans are a lot more outspoken than people from Tokyo, who'll put up with stuff it is makes them look good. Osakans won't put up with wrestlers not giving it their all." (By Ryann Connell)
February 6, 2007 ?
Saturday, February 3, 2007
Local rugby players set for annual memorial game
Rich Freeman / Daily Yomiuri Sportswriter
As coach of the Top League's newest team, Mitsubishi Juko, Scott Pierce is not going to get too many more opportunities to play himself.
So the chance to turn out for the Yokohama Country & Athletic Club against the Tokyo Crusaders on Saturday was one he was not going to turn down.
Even if it did mean earning the wrath of his wife, who wants the former All Blacks trialist and Japan sevens player to return home to New Zealand after a long season.
But hopefully Mrs. Pierce will understand given the circumstances.
The 41-year-old center is the biggest name taking part in the MacFadyen Cup, played in memory of Gareth MacFadyen, who played for both the YC&AC and the Crusaders from 1996-2000.
MacFadyen was tragically killed in December 2000, after a prank at a Christmas party in Auckland went horribly wrong and the grass skirt he was wearing was engulfed in flames. Since then the two teams have played every year in his honor.
MacFadyen's parents Ian and Sue are being flown to Japan by Air New Zealand and will present the winning captain with the cup, which was designed in Brisbane, Australia, and made in Christchurch, New Zealand.
"It's great to see Air New Zealand, which has a long history as a sponsor of international and provincial rugby in New Zealand, support such a significant club event in Japan," said Simon Ryan, president of the YC&AC rugby club.
Both teams have won the trophy three times and this year's edition was designated a two-legged affair.
The Cru' are the current holders but they go into Saturday's game at the YC&AC having to make up a three-point deficit, after losing November's first leg 22-19.
In the past top referees from New Zealand have been flown out to officiate and there were hopes that Paddy O'Brien would be in charge of this year's game.
However,the Kiwi's role as the International Rugby Board's referees' manager has prevented him from making the trip.
Ryota Yashima, a Japanese referee with experience of handling games in the Sydney club competition, will blow the whistle instead on what is always a hard-fought encounter.
The 2nd XV game gets underway at 2.00 p.m. at the YC&AC ground in Yamate, with the 1st XV match kicking off at 3.15 p.m.
(Feb. 2, 2007)
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Sumo's colossus in probe on match-fixing By Julian Ryall in Tokyo
The man who bestrides the sumo world like a colossus has been implicated in match-fixing claims that are rocking Japan's national sport.
Asashoryu has so few rivals some wonder what he would gain from fixed fights
Asashoryu, the Mongolian-born grand champion, will appear before a panel of the Japan Sumo Association on Tuesday to answer allegations that he has arranged for bouts to be thrown. Asashoryu won his 20th career title at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament this month in typically resounding fashion, losing only one bout. Some question whether a man so dominant would need fights fixed in his favour.
"I suspect that there are some in the sport who do not like the fact that he is winning every tournament so easily," said Fred Varcoe, a sports journalist who has covered sumo for two decades. "There are absolutely no Japanese challengers to his dominance and he is closing in on the records of the true greats."
Renowned home-grown wrestler Taiho had 32 career victories and the immensely popular Chiyonofuji took 31.
The sumo association has already questioned wrestlers below the rank of sekiwake, or third division. None has admitted surrendering bouts. The five men who make up the second-highest level in the sport, ozeki, are to give their testimony on Monday.
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The other members of Asashoryu's stable were questioned on Wednesday, with the sport's chief supervisor, Tomozuna, telling reporters: "All the wrestlers said 'I have no recollections of that'."
"I also do not believe there has been any fixing of matches," he said.
Past reports of misbehaviour in the sport would not seem to bear that out, however. A great deal of money is wagered on tournaments. The last time there were match-fixing allegations, in 2000, the two wrestlers who made the claims died within days of each other of mysterious liver complaints.
"A lot of people think the coincidences are too great," said Mr Varcoe.
"Add to that the fact that most people accept that sumo is corrupt and they are not too surprised at these latest allegations.
"They are asking themselves not whether bouts are being fixed, but who stands to gain the most if Asashoryu is disgraced."
The JSA is due to release its findings on Thursday. Mr Tomozuna added: "We want to use this as an opportunity to rid sumo of all suspicion."
Asashoryu has so few rivals some wonder what he would gain from fixed fights
Asashoryu, the Mongolian-born grand champion, will appear before a panel of the Japan Sumo Association on Tuesday to answer allegations that he has arranged for bouts to be thrown. Asashoryu won his 20th career title at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament this month in typically resounding fashion, losing only one bout. Some question whether a man so dominant would need fights fixed in his favour.
"I suspect that there are some in the sport who do not like the fact that he is winning every tournament so easily," said Fred Varcoe, a sports journalist who has covered sumo for two decades. "There are absolutely no Japanese challengers to his dominance and he is closing in on the records of the true greats."
Renowned home-grown wrestler Taiho had 32 career victories and the immensely popular Chiyonofuji took 31.
The sumo association has already questioned wrestlers below the rank of sekiwake, or third division. None has admitted surrendering bouts. The five men who make up the second-highest level in the sport, ozeki, are to give their testimony on Monday.
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The other members of Asashoryu's stable were questioned on Wednesday, with the sport's chief supervisor, Tomozuna, telling reporters: "All the wrestlers said 'I have no recollections of that'."
"I also do not believe there has been any fixing of matches," he said.
Past reports of misbehaviour in the sport would not seem to bear that out, however. A great deal of money is wagered on tournaments. The last time there were match-fixing allegations, in 2000, the two wrestlers who made the claims died within days of each other of mysterious liver complaints.
"A lot of people think the coincidences are too great," said Mr Varcoe.
"Add to that the fact that most people accept that sumo is corrupt and they are not too surprised at these latest allegations.
"They are asking themselves not whether bouts are being fixed, but who stands to gain the most if Asashoryu is disgraced."
The JSA is due to release its findings on Thursday. Mr Tomozuna added: "We want to use this as an opportunity to rid sumo of all suspicion."
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Behind the Curtain - March 2007
As the curtain rises at the only tourney in Osaka each year, we will see 3 men step out from behind the curtain, one of which is new to wearing the silk mawashi.
Ms2e Takamifuji of Azumazeki Beya registered a 5-2 outcome last Basho and became the only wrestler new to the Juryo rank this time around.
Since Takamifuji is our first timer, let’s see what story is behind the man in the mawashi. He quit a job as a civil servant to just sumo at the rank of Makushita 15 Tsukedashi at the 2004 Haru Basho. "I realized up here, that I could not keep winning by going with only half hearted efforts. Unlike in the amateur world, you cannot survive by simply doing average things in the pro," said Takamifuji.
In his 4th year in Toyo University, he had been College Yokozuna once in his college sumo experience. However, he gave up his dream of going into professional sumo and went home to Okayama prefecture to get involved in a All Japan Athletic Tournament scheduled for 2005. He worked as a tournament organizer, "Of course I was planning to live a normal life once the Tournament is over. I was more or less thinking of spending the rest of my life in a rather secure and ordinary environment as a government employee."
Then in September 2005, he the Yokozuna title again, at the national non-college level amateur athletic sumo championship. He found that he still had a fire in his belly for competing in sumo. He talked to Azumazeki oyakata when he was in Okayama prefecture on a scouting trip, and this seems to be the turning point, Takamifuji decided to enter Sumo, "I felt I was more suited to work with sweat pouring all over my body than facing a computer all day."
The happy ending here is that when Takamifuji joined sumo, he said that his goal was to make sekitori to be able to repay his mother, Keiko, 53, who single-handedly raised him, his younger brother and two sisters.
Ms3w Hokutoiwa of Hakkaku Beya completed the Shogatsu Basho with a nice record of 5-2. This is the 3rd time he has stepped out from behind the curtain, and he has a set trend of stepping out only in the month of March. Ms1e Shiraishi of Onoe Beya notched a 4-3 record at the Kokugikan in January. Since he was ranked at the very top of Makushita, all he needed was a winning record to guarantee his ticket back into the paid ranks. He debuted in sumo 3 years ago this month.
For these three wrestlers to move into the limelight, three wrestlers must move down the ladder to make room. At this time, the demotion can only be predicted, here are the likely suspects to step behind the curtain.
J12w Wakanoho of Magaki Beya only managed 5 wins (5-10) in Tokyo, so he can expect to go back to the black cotton mawashi. His record in the paid ranks is just the one Basho but he is young and inexperienced, so another tourney or two in Makushita should see him back in front of the curtain.
J9w Sumanofuji of Nakamura Beya got only 2 wins (2-5-8) and then got hurt and dropping out on the 7th day of the tournament. He made a brief visit behind the curtain July 2005. As long as he can recover quickly from his injury, we should see him back in Juryo by the Aki Basho.
J10e Wakatoba of Oguruma Beya only got 1 win (1-4-10), hurt on day 4 and dropped out on the 5th day of the Basho. Wakatoba will be 30 years old this June, so it could be tough to fight his way back through the curtain.
Ms2e Takamifuji of Azumazeki Beya registered a 5-2 outcome last Basho and became the only wrestler new to the Juryo rank this time around.
Since Takamifuji is our first timer, let’s see what story is behind the man in the mawashi. He quit a job as a civil servant to just sumo at the rank of Makushita 15 Tsukedashi at the 2004 Haru Basho. "I realized up here, that I could not keep winning by going with only half hearted efforts. Unlike in the amateur world, you cannot survive by simply doing average things in the pro," said Takamifuji.
In his 4th year in Toyo University, he had been College Yokozuna once in his college sumo experience. However, he gave up his dream of going into professional sumo and went home to Okayama prefecture to get involved in a All Japan Athletic Tournament scheduled for 2005. He worked as a tournament organizer, "Of course I was planning to live a normal life once the Tournament is over. I was more or less thinking of spending the rest of my life in a rather secure and ordinary environment as a government employee."
Then in September 2005, he the Yokozuna title again, at the national non-college level amateur athletic sumo championship. He found that he still had a fire in his belly for competing in sumo. He talked to Azumazeki oyakata when he was in Okayama prefecture on a scouting trip, and this seems to be the turning point, Takamifuji decided to enter Sumo, "I felt I was more suited to work with sweat pouring all over my body than facing a computer all day."
The happy ending here is that when Takamifuji joined sumo, he said that his goal was to make sekitori to be able to repay his mother, Keiko, 53, who single-handedly raised him, his younger brother and two sisters.
Ms3w Hokutoiwa of Hakkaku Beya completed the Shogatsu Basho with a nice record of 5-2. This is the 3rd time he has stepped out from behind the curtain, and he has a set trend of stepping out only in the month of March. Ms1e Shiraishi of Onoe Beya notched a 4-3 record at the Kokugikan in January. Since he was ranked at the very top of Makushita, all he needed was a winning record to guarantee his ticket back into the paid ranks. He debuted in sumo 3 years ago this month.
For these three wrestlers to move into the limelight, three wrestlers must move down the ladder to make room. At this time, the demotion can only be predicted, here are the likely suspects to step behind the curtain.
J12w Wakanoho of Magaki Beya only managed 5 wins (5-10) in Tokyo, so he can expect to go back to the black cotton mawashi. His record in the paid ranks is just the one Basho but he is young and inexperienced, so another tourney or two in Makushita should see him back in front of the curtain.
J9w Sumanofuji of Nakamura Beya got only 2 wins (2-5-8) and then got hurt and dropping out on the 7th day of the tournament. He made a brief visit behind the curtain July 2005. As long as he can recover quickly from his injury, we should see him back in Juryo by the Aki Basho.
J10e Wakatoba of Oguruma Beya only got 1 win (1-4-10), hurt on day 4 and dropped out on the 5th day of the Basho. Wakatoba will be 30 years old this June, so it could be tough to fight his way back through the curtain.
Monday, January 22, 2007
The Gareth MacFadyen Cup
The Gareth MacFadyen Cup , more commonly known as the GM Cup is a local derby-style memorial Rugby footballrugby match contested on an annual basis in Tokyo, Japan, between the two leading foreign rugby teams in Japan; the Tokyo Crusaders and the Yokohama Country and Athletic Club.
The match is played in memoriam for Gareth MacFadyen (1976-2000), a young New Zealander who was a successful young stockbroker and a leading player for both teams on the social rugby circuit in Japan during a period spanning 1996 to 2000.
Gareth MacFadyen
MacFadyen's tragic death in 2000 was widely reported through both the Japanese, New Zealander and rugby news media for its untimely and unfortunate circumstances.
He died from extensive burns suffered as a result of being set alight while in costume as a prank during a Christmas work party by a colleague. His colleague was subsequently jailed for two years on the charge of manslaughter in New Zealand in 2001.
Gareth MacFadyen was notable for playing for both the Tokyo Crusaders and the Yokohama Country and Athletic Club rugby teams, which are considered traditional rivals in the greater Tokyo region.
The Tokyo Crusaders rugby club retired their number 8 jumper – being Gareth's preferred playing position, as a mark of respect in 2001.
History of the Cup
The Gareth MacFadyen cup was designed in Brisbane, Australia and made in Christchurch, New Zealand in 2001 as a result of sizeable charitable donations made by Tokyo Crusader and YCAC club members.
The trophy is a sterling silver cup with winged floral handles on a polished hardwood base, measuring some 60 centimeters in height and surmounted by a golden crusader figurine.
The concepts of a trophy and memorial grudge match were proposed by Michael Mayrseidl and Rob Keay respectively as members of the Tokyo Crusaders rugby club.
The trophy match itself is traditionally held at the Yokohama Country and Athletic Club's ground in Yamate and is played under standard international rugby rules.
Both sides contest the memorial trophy with the winner of the match retaining the right to hold and display the trophy. The trophy is currently installed in Paddy Foley's Irish Bar in Roppongi.
Previous years events have seen the MacFadyen family flown out to Japan from New Zealand to present the winning team with the Cup. Future matches are slated to have international level referees suchas Paddy O'Brien officiating.
In the 5 years since its inception it has become widely regarded as the most important rugby event in the foreign community calender in Japan.
Previous GM Cup winners and scores
Date / Winning team / Score
March 2001 Tokyo Crusaders 6-5
January 2002 YCAC 10-5
December 2002 YCAC 45-14
December 2003 Tokyo Crusaders 35-10
November 2004 YCAC 18-14
November 2005 Tokyo Crusaders 31-5
November 2006 YCAC 22-19
External links
YCAC
The match is played in memoriam for Gareth MacFadyen (1976-2000), a young New Zealander who was a successful young stockbroker and a leading player for both teams on the social rugby circuit in Japan during a period spanning 1996 to 2000.
Gareth MacFadyen
MacFadyen's tragic death in 2000 was widely reported through both the Japanese, New Zealander and rugby news media for its untimely and unfortunate circumstances.
He died from extensive burns suffered as a result of being set alight while in costume as a prank during a Christmas work party by a colleague. His colleague was subsequently jailed for two years on the charge of manslaughter in New Zealand in 2001.
Gareth MacFadyen was notable for playing for both the Tokyo Crusaders and the Yokohama Country and Athletic Club rugby teams, which are considered traditional rivals in the greater Tokyo region.
The Tokyo Crusaders rugby club retired their number 8 jumper – being Gareth's preferred playing position, as a mark of respect in 2001.
History of the Cup
The Gareth MacFadyen cup was designed in Brisbane, Australia and made in Christchurch, New Zealand in 2001 as a result of sizeable charitable donations made by Tokyo Crusader and YCAC club members.
The trophy is a sterling silver cup with winged floral handles on a polished hardwood base, measuring some 60 centimeters in height and surmounted by a golden crusader figurine.
The concepts of a trophy and memorial grudge match were proposed by Michael Mayrseidl and Rob Keay respectively as members of the Tokyo Crusaders rugby club.
The trophy match itself is traditionally held at the Yokohama Country and Athletic Club's ground in Yamate and is played under standard international rugby rules.
Both sides contest the memorial trophy with the winner of the match retaining the right to hold and display the trophy. The trophy is currently installed in Paddy Foley's Irish Bar in Roppongi.
Previous years events have seen the MacFadyen family flown out to Japan from New Zealand to present the winning team with the Cup. Future matches are slated to have international level referees suchas Paddy O'Brien officiating.
In the 5 years since its inception it has become widely regarded as the most important rugby event in the foreign community calender in Japan.
Previous GM Cup winners and scores
Date / Winning team / Score
March 2001 Tokyo Crusaders 6-5
January 2002 YCAC 10-5
December 2002 YCAC 45-14
December 2003 Tokyo Crusaders 35-10
November 2004 YCAC 18-14
November 2005 Tokyo Crusaders 31-5
November 2006 YCAC 22-19
External links
YCAC
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