Adapted sumo
What is adapted sumo? Adapted sumo is sumo adapted so that athletes with disabilities can train and compete. There is no tachiai (the initial charge): athletes start bound together in a neutral position, and the gyoji restarts the bout if all contact is lost.
Last updated: 2026-09-22.
See also: Competition rules, What is sumo, Find a sumo club in England, Sumo glossary, and British Sumo.
What is adapted sumo?
Adapted sumo mirrors the approach taken by judo, adapting the rules of the sport so that athletes with disabilities can take part, train and compete. It keeps the heart of sumo — grip fighting, balance, and pushing and throwing from the mawashi — while changing how a bout starts and restarts.
We follow the person-first language of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), the International Judo Federation (IJF) and the European Judo Union (EJU), and refer to athletes with disabilities.
Who can take part
Sumo welcomes athletes of all ages, sizes, genders and abilities. Adapted sumo extends that invitation to athletes with disabilities, whether they are new to the sport or experienced, so they can train at a club and compete where opportunities exist.
Following judo’s lead
Judo is the closest model for where sumo is heading. Judo has developed adapted judo, para judo and deaf judo, and EnglandSumo intends to follow this lead — taking the ideas and approaches that work in judo and adapting them to the sumo context. As the European Judo Union puts it, adapted judo is judo; adapted sumo is sumo.
- Adapted judo — judo for people with disabilities, developed by the European Judo Union (EJU) through its Adapted Judo Commission, and now brought into International Judo Federation (IJF) events such as the adapted judo Grand Slam at Lausanne 2026.
- Para judo — for athletes with visual impairments, governed by the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA): athletes meet in a grip at the start of each bout, and referees guide them into position.
- Deaf judo — the same judo, with adapted referee communication such as visual signals.
For those who want to explore these pathways further, see the International Judo Federation, the European Judo Union and the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA).
Informal competition rules (England and Switzerland)
These are currently informal working rules, developed with and shared by the Swiss Sumo Society. They will keep evolving as the sport develops.
Starting position — no tachiai
There is no tachiai in adapted sumo. Athletes do not charge into each other. Instead they are set into a neutral starting position, bound together, before the gyoji calls the bout to start.
- Place your right ear on your opponent’s left shoulder.
- Hold your right hand round the back of your opponent’s mawashi.
- Put your left hand in the bend of your opponent’s right elbow.
- Crouch into a low crab-like shape: back roughly horizontal, legs spread and knees slightly bent.
Starting and restarting the bout
Once both athletes are set in the neutral starting position, the gyoji calls the bout to start and the athletes begin grappling. There is no tachiai charge. If at any point all contact is lost between the two athletes, the gyoji shouts “Matta”, stops the bout, and brings both athletes back into a neutral starting position at the spot on the dohyo where contact was lost.
One athlete letting go is not a loss of contact, provided the other athlete still has a contact — the first athlete can feel the opponent’s actions through it.
Get involved
If you would like to take part, or if you coach someone who is interested in adapted sumo, get in touch at info@englandsumo.com or speak to your club coach.