Even sumo is bent these days...

It's not a good sign for the innocence of the world if even sumo wrestling is facing match-fixing problems....

Sumo wrestling rocked by match-fixing scandal

The head of Japan's sumo association has apologised to fans after it was revealed wrestlers may have been fixing matches.

In some of the text messages uncovered by police, wrestlers would tell their opponents what to expect inside the ring while others would instruct their rivals to throw a match.

One wrestler texted another: "You fall when I move to tackle."

It is just the latest scandal to tarnish this ancient sport, with dozens of wrestlers last year admitting to placing illegal bets on baseball with the Japanese mafia.

A culture where gambling is illegal, the participants like a bet on other sports with the black market bookies and then they get blackmailed into throwing matches so they aren't exposed for breaking the law...

(Cheers to Richard Farmer for the link)

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