Predicting what will happen in sumo over any calendar year has been a near-impossible task in recent times.
It’s something that has been made even more difficult since 2020, by a pandemic which may be receding from public consciousness but nevertheless has just seen a new national record set for the number of monthly COVID-19-related deaths in December.
Of course, Japan’s national sport has also taken several major coronavirus-related hits over the past three years.
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