Get a taste of Japanese culture by participating in sumo wresting on the Quad today from 12-5 p.m.
The International Student Association’s Flava Fest week started on Tuesday and ends today with sumo wrestling on the Quad. Flava Fest is an annual four-day multicultural event that promotes campus awareness about international cultures.
“We thought [sumo wrestling] would be really fun and students would recognize it,” said Joe Pavlisko, a junior majoring in economics and finance and president of ISA. “Anyone remotely interested should come, even if it’s in between classes to watch.”
The wrestling matches will take place on the Quad near Nott Hall. Students can pay $2 to wear inflatable fat suits and participate in a few wrestling rounds. The Japanese club will have a table nearby with information to further educate University students on Japanese and Asian culture.
Traditional Japanese sumo wrestling is an ancient sport. The basic rules of sumo dictate that a wrestler loses a round if he is forced out of the wrestling ring, or any body part besides the soles of his feet touches the ground.
The sumo wrestling on the Quad will be a modified version of the Japanese sport. Since the event is structured to promote culture awareness, the International Student Association plans the keep the matches very informal but will have a judge for the rounds.
The inflatable fat suits participants will wear make it difficult to move and easy to fall over and create a level playing ground for people of all sizes and strengths to compete. Members of the ISA hope to have students present at all times throughout the day.
Yichen Feng, a senior majoring in management information systems, said she hopes more people will get involved by attending the event.
Feng has been a member of ISA since her freshman year and encourages others to join the organization. The ISA consists of both UA students and international students seeking to learn more about different cultures.
“The international students want to experience more of American culture, meet American friends, and feel comfortable in the U.S. environment,” Feng said. “The UA students are also exposed to international cultures through dinner events, game nights, and interaction with each other.”
The group organizes multicultural events such as sumo wrestling as a way to inspire more students to become involved and to promote communication between U.S. students and international students.
“Everyone should participate,” said Jialin Dong, a junior majoring in accounting. “I will definitely try [to wrestle]. I am very excited about wearing the inflatable suits.”
The ISA will host an encore event called International Performance Night tonight from 7-8:30 p.m. in the Ferguson Center Theater.
For more information, e-mail [email protected].
