Fat-fingered sumo wrestlers given iPads for phones

Japan's sumo stables turn to iPads as normal phone buttons prove too tiny for wrestlers' chubby digits

By Robert Michael Poole 26 August, 2010

It's often said that Japan combines tradition with modern technology. And there can be no better example than the Japan Sumo Association (JSA) sending iPads to 51 sumo stables to ease communication. But if you thought it's because the JSA has suddenly turned ultra high-tech, think again. It's actually because the sumo wrestlers' fingers are too chubby to use normal phones.

According to Jiji Press, the wrestlers have a habit of missing faxes or phone calls. JSA vice chairman Hiroyoshi Murayama explains, "We will hand out the newest iPads to all the sumo stables to swiftly communicate what we need to."

The iPad touch-screen measures 9.7-inches, much larger than regular phones which range from about three to five inches, diagonally. JSA has already bought 60 iPads to distribute and is also reported to be sending someone to explain how to use them.

This makes for some refreshingly 'small' news in a sport that has been dogged by controversy over recent months.