Sumo Master
By Daily Bruin Staff
Feb. 12, 2001 9:00 p.m.
 CHRIS BACKLEY/Daily Bruin Svetoslav
Binev, left, spars against Andrew Freund,
right, during sumo class at the Wooden Center.
By Will Whitehorn
Daily Bruin Contributor
Svetoslav Binev is a two-time world champion athlete, yet he
walks around UCLA as a relative unknown. It’s a major
adjustment from his home of Bulgaria, where Binev creates a media
circus the likes of which only Michael Jordan could understand.
A major reason Binev is little-known is that he shares his
newfound anonymity with the sport he excels at ““ sumo
wrestling.
“(In Bulgaria) this guy is a sensation,” said Andrew
Freund, president of the California Sumo Association, which holds
classes at the John Wooden Center. “He’s done about 500
interviews, talk shows, you name it. He’s been athlete of the
year in Bulgaria a couple of times. This guy is a huge celebrity
there.”
Binev’s status overseas is well- earned. In addition to
his two world championships, Binev also boasts six European
championships and a No. 1 world ranking by the International Sumo
Federation.
He also coached the Bulgarian national team to a No. 2 worldwide
ranking from 1998-2000. Binev has won his last 20 tournaments (all
single elimination) and also holds Bulgarian championships in track
and field (sprints), handball and freestyle wrestling.
Binev now spends his Sundays teaching sumo in the Wooden
Center’s Blue Room, sparring all comers, free of charge. As
an instructor for CSA, Binev hopes to popularize the sport in the
United States, as well as debunk the illusion of the enormous
Japanese sumo wrestler.
“It’s not like that everywhere, just in
Japan,” said Binev, clad in a Michael Jordan tank top.
“But around the world, there are weight classes, so
it’s possible for everyone to compete. (Otherwise) it would
be like Oscar de la Hoya fighting Mike Tyson. No matter how skilled
the opponent is, the heavyweight will always win.”
“That’s the difficult thing about America,”
Binev continued. “Everyone pictures the big guys, the
Japanese wrestlers. But it’s not all about that. I like to do
it to stay in shape, and I want to be good.”
Freund pointed out that sumo is basically a spectator sport in
Japan.
“It’s difficult to get in and actually wrestle.
It’s very rigid and cultural,” he said of Japan’s
renowned Kyokai sumo wrestling. “You have to live their
lifestyle and work your way up the ranks. It takes
years.”
With the exception of Japan, sumo weight divisions resemble
those in boxing. Sumo wrestling is composed of three divisions
““ lightweight, middleweight and heavyweight ““ making it
possible for smaller people, like the 5-foot-10, 197-pound Binev,
to compete.
“(The sport) has a lot to do with strategy,” said
Rick Rand, sumo student and member of the U.S. Chess Federation.
“Size sometimes matters, but like chess, it has a lot to do
with timing.”
Binev’s weekend classes include participants in all weight
classes and both sexes, and competition is not always the main
objective.
“I came out here looking for a good workout, and they told
me this would be better than anything else for my
cardiovascular,” said Ashley Irish, a first-time sumo
wrestler, between breaths.
In addition to his weekend class, Binev and CSA compete
elsewhere, often traveling far to do so. Beyond California, sumo is
practiced in Hawaii and New Jersey, where CSA goes to compete in
the North American Sumo Championships. Internationally, the group
intends to compete in two major championships, both held in Japan:
the World Games, Aug. 25-26, in Akita; and the World Championships,
Oct. 27-28, in Omori.
There is also a push to make sumo wrestling an Olympic event in
the near future.
“They’re going to experiment with it a little in
Athens in 2004,” said Freund, a three-time amateur champion.
“We hope it’s a full-time event by 2008, when the Games
(may possibly be held) in Tokyo.”
For the sport to be admitted as an Olympic event, it must
provide for weight classes and be open to both male and female
contestants, requirements it has already met.
In August, the Japan University champions are scheduled to
travel to Los Angeles to compete with Binev and CSA.
“We’d love to compete against these guys in Japan,
but it’s not permitted. This is a great opportunity,”
Binev said.
Freund added, “This is the only chance they have to
compete against others before they turn pro. They’re the best
(amateurs) in Japan.”
In the meantime, CSA remains active in arousing interest in the
sport in L.A. Binev and CSA often participate in tournaments and
demonstrations in Los Angeles and Orange County. A tentative
tournament titled “Get Svet” is also in the works, and
would be open to anyone. A prize of up to $5,000 would be awarded
to the lucky soul who pinned the champ.
“Hey, it could happen,” Binev said modestly.
Binev’s influence remains the strongest with CSA and its
classes. His status as a little-known celebrity notwithstanding, he
seems right at home offering championship-caliber instruction at
UCLA, which has become quite accustomed to welcoming champions.
More information about CSA can be found at www.usasumo.com.
