Mongolian grand champion Asashoryu's return to Japan has been put on hold until after next month's Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament, his stablemaster Takasago said Thursday. Asashoryu had initially been expected to come home from Mongolia, where he has been receiving treatment for a stress disorder and a variety of injuries, before the end of this month. But the 21-time Emperor's Cup winner has been forced to delay his return as he recently hurt his left ankle during a training session and is also struggling to shake off a niggling elbow injury. "There would be a big fuss if he came back in the period between the new rankings (for the Nov. 11-25 Kyushu meet) being released (on Oct. 29) and the end of the tournament and that would create unwanted trouble for the sumo world," said Takasago. "First of all he has to properly recover from his elbow and ankle injuries," said Takasago. "The fact that he is training means he is moving in the right direction. Now he just has to do his best ahead of the regional tour (starting in Oita Prefecture in December). When he comes back the first thing I will do is get him to hold a news conference in Tokyo," he added.
