The Sumo World Championships is an amateur sumo competition organized by the International Sumo Federation. The men's competition started in 1992 and the women's competition started in 2001, with both competitions having been held together. The competitions are generally held every year, although the 2009 and 2011 events were cancelled due to the 2009 flu pandemic and political unrest over the Arab Spring respectively. The 24th edition, originally scheduled to take place in Russia in 2022, was rescheduled to be held in Tokyo in late 2023.
Weight classes
1992–2018 Weight class Men Women Jr. Men* Jr. Women* Open Unrestricted Unrestricted Unrestricted Unrestricted Heavyweight ≥115 kg ≥80 kg ≥100 kg ≥75 kg Middleweight 85−115 kg 65–80 kg 80–100 kg 60–75 kg Lightweight <85 kg <65 kg <80 kg <60 kg Age restrictions of 13–18 years old apply
2019–present Weight class Men Women Jr. Men* Jr. Women* Open Unrestricted Unrestricted Unrestricted Unrestricted Heavyweight ≥115 kg ≥80 kg ≥100 kg ≥75 kg Light Heavyweight 100–115kg 73–80 kg (Unused) Middleweight 85−100 kg 65–73 kg 80–100 kg 60–75 kg Lightweight <85 kg <65 kg <80 kg <60 kg Age restrictions of 13–18 years old apply
Men's Individual competition The wrestlers who subsequently entered professional sumo (or were former professionals) also have their ring name or shikona listed. Year Host Weight class Winner Country shikona ref 1st 1992 Tokyo Openweight Kazuo Saitō Heavyweight Takeharu Dejima Dejima Takeharu Lightweight Akihiro Kiku 2nd 1993 Openweight Sunao Yasu Heavyweight Fumihito Tsuruga Middleweight Akihiro Kiku Lightweight Hitoshi Omura 3rd 1994 Openweight Badmanyambuu Bat-Erdene Heavyweight Keiji Tamiya Kotomitsuki Keiji Middleweight Ryōji Kumagai Kaihō Ryōji Lightweight Bayanmönkhiin Gantogtokh 4th 1995 Openweight Emmanuel Yarborough Heavyweight Naohito Saitō Hayateumi Hidehito Middleweight Ryōji Kumagai Kaihō Ryōji Lightweight Agvaansamdan Suhbat 5th 1996 Openweight Mark Robinson Heavyweight Koichi Katō Middleweight Tatsurō Takahama Hamanishiki Tatsurō Lightweight Hitoshi Omura 6th 1997 Openweight Naohito Saitō Hayateumi Hidehito Heavyweight Keiji Tamiya Kotomitsuki Keiji Middleweight Tatsurō Takahama Hamanishiki Tatsurō Lightweight Agvaansamdan Suhbat 7th 1998 Openweight Keiji Tamiya Kotomitsuki Keiji Heavyweight Jörg Brümmer Middleweight Tatsurō Takahama Hamanishiki Tatsurō Lightweight Svetoslav Binev 8th 1999 Riesa Openweight Levan Ebanoidze Georgia Heavyweight Takahisa Osanai Middleweight Hideto Tsushima Lightweight Svetoslav Binev 9th 2000 São Paulo Openweight Tōru Kakizoe Kakizoe Tōru Heavyweight Takahisa Osanai Middleweight Aias Mongouch Lightweight Peer Schmidt-Düwiger 10th 2001 Aomori Openweight Torsten Scheibler Heavyweight Robert Paczków Middleweight Aias Mongouch Lightweight Chōhei Kimura 11th 2002 KrakówOpenweight Alan Karaev Heavyweight Robert Paczków Middleweight David Tsallagov Lightweight Claudio Ikemori − 2003 Hong Kong Cancelled due to the SARS outbreak. 12th 2004 RiesaOpenweight Keishō Shimoda Heavyweight Takayuki Ichihara Kiyoseumi Takayuki Middleweight Katsuo Yoshida Lightweight Vitaliy Tikhenko 13th 2005 Osaka Openweight Torsten Scheibler Heavyweight Takayuki Ichihara Kiyoseumi Takayuki Middleweight Katsuo Yoshida Lightweight Vitaliy Tikhenko 14th 2006 Sakai Openweight Alan Gabaraev Aran Hakutora Heavyweight Byambajav Ulambayar Daishōchi Kenta(ex-professional sumo wrestler) Middleweight Katsuo Yoshida Lightweight Takaharu Nagasawa 15th 2007 Chiang Mai Openweight Alan Karaev Heavyweight Byambajav Ulambayar Daishōchi Kenta Middleweight Katsuo Yoshida Lightweight Sándor Bárdosi 16th 2008 Rakvere Openweight Naranbat Gankhuyag Maenoyū Tarō (ex-professional sumo wrestler) Heavyweight Takashi Himeno Middleweight Katsuo Yoshida Lightweight Takashi Shimako − 2009 Alexandria Cancelled due to the flu pandemic 17th 2010 Warsaw Openweight Vasily Margiev Heavyweight Dezso Libor Middleweight Ryō Itō Lightweight Stiliyan Georgiev − 2011 Alexandria Cancelled due to political instability 18th 2012 Wan Chai Openweight Naranbat Gankhuyag Maenoyū Tarō Heavyweight Alan Karaev Middleweight Kostiantyn Iermakov Lightweight Gantugs Rentsendorj 19th 2014 Kaohsiung Openweight Turbold Baasansuren Mitoryū Takayuki Heavyweight Alan Karaev Middleweight Kiyoyuki Noguchi Lightweight Yūya Nakamura Enhō Akira 20th 2015 Osaka Openweight Sōichirō Kurokawa Heavyweight Ryōta Oyanagi Yutakayama Ryōta Middleweight Atsamaz Kaziev Lightweight Yūya Nakamura Enhō Akira 21st 2016 Ulaanbaatar Openweight Turbold Baasansuren Mitoryū Takayuki Heavyweight Vasilii Margiev Middleweight Hayato Miwa Lightweight Batyr Altyev 22nd 2018 Taoyuan Openweight Vasilii Margiev Heavyweight Vasilii Margiev Middleweight Badral Baasandorj Lightweight Sviatoslav Semykras 23rd 2019 Osaka Openweight Batsuuri Namsraijav Heavyweight Atsushi Igarashi Light Heavyweight Konstantin Abdula-Zade Middleweight Badral Baasandorj Lightweight Sviatoslav Semykras 24th 2023 Tokyo Openweight Oleksandr Veresiuk Heavyweight Kusano Naoya Yoshinofuji Naoya Light Heavyweight Vazha Daiauri Middleweight Yehor Krupskyi Lightweight Sviatoslav Semykras 25th 2024 Krotoszyn Openweight Shun Ikeda Heavyweight Lasha Jeladze Light Heavyweight Badral Baasandorj Middleweight Yehor Krupskyi Lightweight Demid Karachenko 26th 2025 Bangkok Openweight Shun Ikeda Heavyweight Kosei Takeguchi Light Heavyweight Badral Baasandorj Middleweight Erdenesuren Ganbold Lightweight Sviatoslav Semykras
Men's Team competition Year 1st place 2nd place 3rd 3rd1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2010 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2023 2024 2025
Women's Individual competition Year Host Weight class Winner Country ref 1st 2001 Aomori Openweight Sandra Köppen Heavyweight Veronika Kozlovskaya Middleweight Satomi Ishigaya Lightweight Lene Aanes 2nd 2002 KrakówOpenweight Rie Tsuihiji Heavyweight Olesya Kovalenko Middleweight Edyta Witkowska Lightweight Satomi Ishigaya − 2003 Hong Kong Cancelled due to the SARS outbreak. 3rd 2004 RiesaOpenweight Sandra Köppen Heavyweight Fernanda Pereira da Costa Middleweight Svetlana Panteleeva Lightweight Alina Boykova 4th 2005 Osaka Openweight Ekaterina Keyb Heavyweight Sandra Köppen Middleweight Svetlana Panteleeva Lightweight Satomi Ishigaya 5th 2006 Sakai Openweight Anna Zhigalova Heavyweight Olesya Kovalenko Middleweight Svetlana Panteleeva Lightweight Alina Boykova 6th 2007 Chiang Mai Openweight Ekaterina Keyb Heavyweight Olesya Kovalenko Middleweight Asano Matsuura Lightweight Nelli Vorobyeva 7th 2008 Rakvere Openweight Anna Zhigalova Heavyweight Olga Davydko Middleweight Maryna Pryshchepa Lightweight Nelli Vorobyeva − 2009 Alexandria Cancelled due to the flu pandemic 8th 2010 Warsaw Openweight Sylwia Krzemien Heavyweight Anna Zhigalova Middleweight Dulmaa Yadmaa Lightweight Alina Boykova − 2011 Alexandria Cancelled due to political instability 9th 2012 Wan Chai Openweight Yuka Ueta Heavyweight Anna Zhigalova Middleweight Svetlana Panteleeva Lightweight Alina Boykova 10th 2014 Kaohsiung Openweight Anna Zhigalova Heavyweight Mariia Drboian Middleweight Anna Aleksandrova Lightweight Vera Koval 11th 2015 Osaka Openweight Anna Zhigalova Heavyweight Sunjidmaa Khishigdorj Middleweight Maryna Maksymenko Lightweight Daria Ibragimova 12th 2016 Ulaanbaatar Openweight Anna Poliakova (nee Zhigalova) Heavyweight Sunjidmaa Khishigdorj Middleweight Maryna Maksymenko Lightweight Alina Boykova 13th 2018 Taoyuan Openweight Anna Poliakova Heavyweight Olga Davydko Middleweight Anna Aleksandrova Lightweight Vera Koval 14th 2019 Osaka Openweight Svitlana Yaromka Heavyweight Anna Poliakova Light Heavyweight Maryna Maksymenko Middleweight Magda Katarzyna Skrajnowska Lightweight Alina Duzhenko 15th 2023 Tokyo Openweight Airi Hisano Heavyweight Ivanna Berezovska Light Heavyweight Maryna Maksymenko Middleweight Karyna Kolesnik Lightweight Elekes Enikő 16th 2024 Krotoszyn Openweight Iryna Pasichnyk Heavyweight Ivanna Berezovska Light Heavyweight Sakura Ishii Middleweight Rio Hasegawa Lightweight Nene Yamashita 17th 2025 Bangkok Openweight Iryna Pasichnyk Heavyweight Ivanna Berezovska Light Heavyweight Karyna Kolesnik Middleweight Tetiana Karachenko Lightweight Hana Kishimoto
Women's Team competition Year 1st place 2nd place 3rd 3rd2001 2002 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2010 2012 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2023 2024 2025
See also List of World Sumo Championships medalists (men) List of World Sumo Championships medalists (women) Sumo at the World Games International Sumo Federation
Notes