The slim pickings this year when it comes to new recruits for Japan 's traditional sport of sumo wrestling was inevitable.Gluttony may be part of the deal when teenagers enter this sport but the last few years' exposes about the monetary greed of its heavyweights has diminished the public image of the sport considerably.When sumo wrestling still had its sheen, youngsters may have contemplated taking it up even if their own physiques would not exactly mirror ideal modern dimensions thanks to the unique demands of the sport.Even 50 extra kilograms of adipose would not have mattered, however, if the fans kept flocking in, but the spate of bad publicity following revelations of not only match-fixing - which isn't illegal apparently for that sport in Japan - but doping, hazing and gambling has taken a heavy toll.Urgent reforms are imperative to beef up both the image of the sport and the quantity of its entrants.Already, the sumo wrestling authorities have relaxed weight and other physical standards in order to attract youngsters; perhaps they should now look further afield for recruits.India would be the obvious choice, particularly since wrestling has become increasingly popular after success in recent international sporting events.Besides the attractions of a chance to emigrate to Japan, the fact that there are hardly any rules in sumo wrestling means Indian wrestlers would not have to grapple with anything other than each other.They would also be familiar and comfortable with the communal living expected of trainees, including shared quarters and chores.Moreover, it is unlikely that Indians would regard the sumo wrestlers' top-knotted hair, loin cloth or mandatory weight gain - consequence of a 20,000-calorie daily intake - as deterrents.