SINGAPORE: Egyptian sumo wrestler Abdelrahman Ahmed Shaalan said fasting won't be a problem for him while he competes in Japan. As the first African or Arab sumo wrestler, Shaalan is moving up in the traditional Japanese sport and hopes to continue his push, but with the holy month of fasting beginning on Friday, there were worries that Shaalan would face a struggle during bouts. He told Japan's largest daily newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun that fasting and the holy month would be “no problem.” Muslims are required under Islam to fast from sunrise to sunset during the month of Ramadan as a spiritual journey to cleanse one's body and spirit. The fasting period will overlap with Shaalan's final bout at a tournament in the central Japanese city of Nagoya. “No problem. I only think of winning the remaining bouts. I'm confident,” Shaalan was quoted as saying. As a Muslim, the wrestler better known by his ring name Osunaarashi, which translates as Great Sandstorm, will not eat or drink from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan. Sumo wrestlers depend on eating vast quantities of food to keep up their stout physiques and for energy during tournaments which are held several times a year across Japan. The 20-year-old won the novice class in a tournament in May where he won seven bouts with no defeats to dominate the “Jonokuchi” class, the lowest of six divisions in the highly-ritualized sport. He hopes to continue moving up the rankings in Japan, and as the only Arab and African man competing, his popularity in the country is growing.
