Amateur sumo in England · Clubs, membership & the Team England pathway
EnglandSumo
Every contest from the Open Weight Competition is now on YouTube and Instagram as an individual clip, with results and the full replay below. Next up: the Swiss Sumo Open on 7 November 2026 — register by 31 October. Then the English Veterans Open (30+) follows on 13 December 2026.
EnglandSumo is affiliated to British Sumo, the UK governing body for sumo — supporting clubs, membership, and the Team England pathway from a first session to international competition.
EnglandSumo at Japan Matsuri 2026
On Sunday 4 October 2026 our wrestlers performed on the main stage at Japan Matsuri in Trafalgar Square, London — the UK's biggest Japanese culture festival.
In the days that followed, national newspapers covered the boom in UK amateur sumo, with The Times — "Gird your loin cloths: sumo wrestling is making a big impact in UK" (opens in new tab) naming EnglandSumo directly. We've gathered the coverage and the record of our performance.
Latest
EnglandSumo Open Weight Competition
Sunday 13 September 2026 · Uxbridge, London, England · 27 entrants
The EnglandSumo Open Weight Competition took place on Sunday 13 September 2026 in Uxbridge, London, England with 27 entrants. It was open to all current EnglandSumo members and included additional training sessions alongside the open-weight competition.
Every contest is posted as an individual clip, with the same clips shared on Instagram (opens in new tab).
Watch every contest on YouTube (opens in new tab)
Results and full brackets are published on Smoothcomp.
Open Weight Competition 2026 results
Results and brackets on Smoothcomp (opens in new tab)
Full competition replay
Prefer to watch on YouTube? Open the replay on YouTube (opens in new tab).
Swiss Sumo Open — Saturday 7 November 2026
EnglandSumo will be sending athletes to the Swiss Sumo Open on Saturday 7 November 2026. If you want to compete, register your interest in the England registration form below — EnglandSumo collects all the entries through that form and sends one list to the organiser. Register even if you are still deciding on travel — we will share what we know about entry, travel, and how to join the England group.
Visually impaired athletes welcome. We are looking for visually impaired people to travel and compete under adapted rules. Novice wrestlers — especially current or former VI judo athletes — are invited to register too, or contact us to try sumo and, if it is a good fit, potentially compete overseas at this event.
The informal rules we use for this are shared with the Swiss Sumo Society — see adapted sumo.
Registration deadline: Saturday 31 October 2026 — one week before the event. Register through the England form by then so your entry reaches the organiser.
Register for the Swiss Sumo Open
Contact us — VI / adapted rules
Register through the form to join the England list, or email info@englandsumo.com (use the VI subject line if that is you) for help finding a club, arranging membership, or questions about travel and adapting sumo. Club training and EnglandSumo membership can be arranged as part of that conversation — start via Clubs in England if you already want a local session.
English Veterans Open — Sunday 13 December 2026
EnglandSumo's Veteran (30+) competition — the English Veterans Open — takes place on Sunday 13 December 2026 at Thetford Leisure Centre, hosted by Sumo East. It is a Veterans competition for men and women aged 30 and over, and entries are open now on Smoothcomp.
Competitors are grouped by age: 30–39, 40–49 and 50+, alongside the standard weight classes. We expect to combine and create categories on the day to best suit those competing, so exact divisions will be confirmed closer to the event. There will also likely be an Open Weight category organised on the day, and the event includes a Ladies' Open Weight.
- Date and time: Sunday 13 December 2026, 09:00–12:30
- Venue: Thetford Leisure Centre, Croxton Road, Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 1JD (what3words: tracks.patio.turns)
- Categories: Men's & Women's 30–39, 40–49 and 50+, standard weight classes, plus a Ladies' Open Weight and a likely Open Weight on the day
- Entry fee: £20
- Entry: Sign up via Smoothcomp
Who can enter? Any veteran athlete aged 30 or over — men and women in the 30–39, 40–49 and 50+ age groups, across the standard weight classes.
2026 membership is open
Sign up or renew your EnglandSumo membership for 2026 on Smoothcomp.
Open membership page (opens in new tab)Archive · Earlier 2026
2026 European Sumo Cup
Lance Wicks and Nathaniel Thatcher represented England at the European Sumo Cup in Rzeszów, Poland on Sunday 2 August 2026, accompanied by referee Guy Simpson in his first international event as a referee. Both athletes finished 5th in their weight classes. In open weight Lance placed 12th and Nathaniel 7th, meeting elite opposition including open-weight bronze medallists Lasha Jeladze and Oleksandr Veresiuk.
| Name | Club | Category | Placement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lance Wicks | Southampton Sumo Club | 92 kg | 5th (0–2) |
| Lance Wicks | Southampton Sumo Club | Open weight | 12th (0–1) |
| Nathaniel Thatcher | Southampton Sumo Club | 115 kg | 5th (0–2) |
| Nathaniel Thatcher | Southampton Sumo Club | Open weight | 7th (1–2) |
Referee: Guy Simpson (first international event as a referee). Standout bouts: Lance Wicks vs Maksymilian Włoszek (eventual 92 kg silver medallist); Lance Wicks vs Daviti Akubardia (92 kg bronze medallist); Lance Wicks vs Lasha Jeladze (open-weight bronze medallist); Nathaniel Thatcher vs Saba Gamtenadze (115 kg bronze medallist); Nathaniel Thatcher vs Oleksandr Veresiuk (open-weight bronze medallist; sumo cup featured elite athlete) .
2026 European Sumo Championships
For the first time, the senior European Sumo Championships were hosted in Great Britain. The main competition day was Saturday 27 June 2026 (26–28 June 2026) at the University of Stirling Sports Centre, Stirling, Scotland (FK9 4LA).
EnglandSumo sent a delegation of 20 to Stirling — 16 athletes and 4 officials. Manjinder Nagra was England's top individual finisher, placing 5th in women +80 kg.
EnglandSumo Nationals — 28 March 2026
Full Nationals brackets on Smoothcomp (opens in new tab)
Watch on YouTube — click the player to load
Open on YouTube (opens in new tab)Results
Browse results from the Open Weight Competition, Nationals, and England's international events — every published result in one place.
Follow us
About EnglandSumo
EnglandSumo is affiliated to British Sumo (britishsumo.com), the current recognised national governing body for sumo in the United Kingdom. We organise and represent amateur sumo in England — clubs, membership, and the Team England pathway — under that British Sumo umbrella. EnglandSumo is not the UK governing body. We also work with the European Sumo Federation, which supports the development of the sport across Europe. See Governance for eligibility and affiliation detail.
Executive committee
- President — Sonny Bell — president@englandsumo.com
- General Secretary — Lance Wicks — info@englandsumo.com
- Treasurer — Nick Casey — info@englandsumo.com
Safeguarding
- Designated Safeguarding Officer — Leah Cozens — safeguarding@englandsumo.com
Contact the Designated Safeguarding Officer at safeguarding@englandsumo.com to raise any concerns or ask safeguarding questions. For reporting routes, British Sumo escalation, and independent UK advice, see Governance — Safeguarding.
More: membership and conduct
Everyone who takes part in EnglandSumo events—including athletes, coaches, officials, and volunteers—is expected to hold current EnglandSumo membership for England training and competitions, and to follow the rules and regulations set by EnglandSumo and British Sumo. Clubs set their own arrangements for casual visits — check with your club. Upholding these expectations helps us maintain a safe, welcoming, and fair environment and treat all participants with respect and equity at every level of the sport. See the EnglandSumo Governance for European and World event selection/eligibility notes, and the England clubs list to get started.