'I nabbed school-run dads to join my sumo club'

An amateur sumo wrestler who took up the sport aged 47 has described how he found training partners on the school run after launching his club.

Ben Grief had been "fascinated" by Japan's national sport since the 1990s, when matches were screened on Channel 4, and finally took to the ring in 2024.

After not finding any clubs near him, he drove the 300-mile round trip from his Norfolk home to a sumo centre in Derby and was hooked - winning bronze at the British Championships just one month later.

"I'd been doing it regularly since then, and in all selfishness, I wanted to keep training and not travel far," said Grief, who set up Sumo East in Harleston last summer.

It is believed to be the only official club teaching sumo in the Eastern region.

The 49-year-old is now keen to spread the word about the sport and said he found his first wrestling partners on the school run.

"What I basically did was nab dads from the playground," he said.

"It is quite strange, isn't it? 'Would you like to come and sumo wrestle?'," he joked with BBC Radio Norfolk's Chris Goreham, who suggested it was a "very difficult ice-breaker".

Grief continued: "So I just said it, and a few [dads] went 'Yeah, I'll have a go', and it went from there."

He said the sport was for everyone, regardless of strength, fitness and physique.

"There's a misconception of sumo that it's just really big people," he added.

"In amateur sumo, there are weight classes from small builds right up to really big

people, so it's very inclusive, unlike professional sumo, where there's the one weight

class.

One of those who regularly takes part in the club is accountant Declan Craggs, who is also the Mayor of Diss.

"I'm used to sitting down at a desk day-to-day, but this is really good; it gets me out of the house, gets me with this great bunch of people, keeps me fit," he said.

"I love it."

At the English Sumo Nationals in London last weekend, club member Mark Jacobs won a silver medal in the 85kg (13 stone) weight class.

"It was great, because the club's new, but we've done some pretty good training and it's paid off," said Jacobs.

Women have also joined the club, and Grief hopes to expand in the future to include children's classes.

He added: "Once you come along, you realise how easy it is to learn, and how inclusive it is and how fun it is - there's always sumo smiles."

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