Entered By: Royal Albert Hall & Askonas Holt

The Grand Sumo Tournament reintroduced the UK to one of the world’s oldest and traditional sports, bringing a full roster of elite Makuuchi rikishi to London for a five-day tournament. This was the first time in 34 years that Japan’s Sumo had come to the UK, and only the second time in the sport’s 1,500-year history – establishing the event as a cultural and sporting milestone.

The UK was swept up in Sumo-mania, with widespread national and international media coverage and viral social content of rikishi enjoying the sights of London, from Buckingham Palace to Lime bikes. The warmth and enthusiasm the UK showed for the sport and its competitors was extraordinary.

The five days were sold out with more than 26,000 tickets issued, and for five days, a little corner of Kensington became a global talking point. The Royal Albert Hall’s social media posts alone had 55.6m views.