FUKUOKA (Kyodo) Ozeki Chiyotaikai, who will be battling to avoid demotion from sumo's second-highest rank for a record 14th time in the upcoming Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament, said Thursday he will not retire even if he posts a losing record at the 15-day meet.
The Kokonoe stable veteran, however, said he will put an end to his career if he competes in the New Year tournament as a sekiwake and fails to win 10 bouts, the minimum requirement for promotion back to ozeki.
"I have consulted my stablemaster and decided not to retire even if I pull out or lose more than half of the bouts in the Kyushu tournament," Chiyotaikai said during training in Fukuoka.