Amateur sumo in England · Clubs, membership & the Team England pathway
EnglandSumo
England competed at the Swiss Sumo Open in Geneva on 7 November 2026, returning with 3 gold, 2 silver and 6 bronze. Earlier in October, the senior squad competed at the Sumo World Championships in Baku, where Mandeep Kundi finished fifth in the open weight. Next up: the English Veterans Open (30+) 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.
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World Championships 2026
Sumo World Championships 2026
Sunday 18 October 2026 · Baku Sport Hall, Baku, Azerbaijan · five England athletes
England's senior squad competed under the Great Britain entry in Baku, contesting four men's weight categories, the women's 73–80 kg and the senior men's team event. Mandeep Kundi (Deep Sumo Club) reached the open-weight bronze-medal match and finished fifth, with both defeats against medallists. The senior men's team lost 1–2 to Hungary, who went on to reach the quarter-finals.
| Athlete | Category | Finished |
|---|---|---|
| Mandeep Kundi | Open weight | 5th (3–2) |
| Sebastian Wray | Under 85 kg | Repechage (0–2) |
| Sonny Bell | 100–115 kg | Second round (0–1) |
| Nathan Rault | Over 115 kg | First round (0–1) |
| Leah Cozens | 73–80 kg | First round (0–1) |
Senior men's team: lost 1–2 to Hungary in the first round.
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).
English Veterans Open — Sunday 13 December 2026
EnglandSumo's Veteran (30+) competition — the English Veterans Open — takes place on Sunday 13 December 2026 at Black Belt Academy, 9 Bull Close, Norwich, hosted by Sumo East. It is a Veterans competition for men and women aged 30 and over, and entries are open now on Smoothcomp.
Age groups include 30–39, 40–49 and 50+. We expect to combine or create categories on the day to suit those competing. Check the event listing and contact the organisers to confirm which age and weight divisions are available to you.
- Date and time: Sunday 13 December 2026, 09:00–12:30
- Venue: Black Belt Academy, 9 Bull Close, Norwich, Norfolk, NR3 1SX
- Categories: Age and weight divisions may be combined or created on the day; check the Smoothcomp listing and confirm with the organisers.
- Entry fee: £20
- Entry: Sign up via Smoothcomp
Who can enter? The event is for men and women aged 30 or over. Members of Sumo Scotland, Sumo Wales, and the Northern Ireland Sumo Association can enter without EnglandSumo membership; members of other organisations need current EnglandSumo membership; overseas wrestlers should contact EnglandSumo before entering. Confirm your eligibility and available category with the organisers before entering. See who can take part in EnglandSumo events.
2027 membership is open
Sign up or renew your EnglandSumo membership for 2027 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 Sumo World Championships, Open Weight Competition, Nationals, and England's international events — every published result in one place.
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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—must follow the rules and regulations set by EnglandSumo and British Sumo. Members of British Sumo affiliated bodies — Sumo Scotland, Sumo Wales, and the Northern Ireland Sumo Association — can take part without EnglandSumo membership. Members of other organisations, such as the British Sumo Federation (BSF), are welcome but must hold current EnglandSumo membership. Overseas wrestlers should contact EnglandSumo before entering any events. 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 who can take part in EnglandSumo events, the EnglandSumo Governance for European and World event selection/eligibility notes, and the England clubs list to get started.