Sumo's status as Japan's national sport has been jeopardized further as no one applied for the tests for new recruits for the first time ever, sumo officials said Sunday. The Japan Sumo Association was forced to cancel the tests scheduled for Monday after receiving no applications from would-be professionals prior to the Sunday's deadline, a week before the start of the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament. According to the JSA, it was the first time in sumo history that the association had no applicants for such tests, which are conducted prior to each of the six tournaments held a year. One person took the tests each before the 2000 autumn meet and the 2006 Nagoya basho for the minimum number of applicants in the past.
