Sumo wrestler statue scares horses at the Olympics

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 Sumo wrestler statue scares horses at the Olympics


A life-size statue of a sumo wrestler decorates the Equestrian Park at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. It is not as spectacular as the giant Gundam that decorates the climbing wall where climbing competitions have been held, but it has given more to talk about after several riders complained that the sumo wrestler statue scares the horses.

Sumo wrestler statue scares horses at the Olympics


The complaints arose after several of the horses in the show jumping arena made a sharp turn before entering the tenth obstacle and failed to jump. The first thing the rider and horse see as they pass through the barrier are the hindquarters of a sumo wrestler in attack position: two sizable buttocks that have been described as "very realistic."


From AP News:


"When you get up close, you see a big guy's (butt)," said British rider Harry Charles.


"There's a lot to see," added Ireland's Cian O'Connor.


"It's very realistic," echoed Teddy Vlock of Israel. "It looks like a person, and that's a little creepy. You know, horses don't want to see a guy like looking intense, next to a jumper, looking like he's ready to fight you."


While some competitors lost points for stopping before the jump, not all riders buy into the hypothesis that the sumo wrestler scares the horses. "We try to relax our horses in the turn, and maybe they are surprised to see a vertical so close," French rider Penelope Leprevost told the Associated Press, attributing the problem to the jump being too close to the turn.


Other riders blamed the bright stadium lights, while some attributed the problems to cherry blossoms placed on the other side of the barrier. Whatever the cause, if there was one, it is not uncommon for the design of the jump-off course to generate complaints during an Olympic Games.

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