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Few sports can captivate an audience through an extended period of ceremony before the initial score is even decided.

Yet the intricate traditions unfolding in a small clay ring - mostly preserved for generations - succeeded in doing so.

Welcome to the Grand Sumo Tournament

This multi-day tournament at the Royal Albert Hall features 40 of the very best sumo athletes showcasing a sport whose earliest records dates back to ancient times.

London's Victorian concert venue has been totally redesigned, complete with a six-tonne Japanese temple roof hanging above the competition area.

Time-Honored Rituals Meet Contemporary Displays

It is here the athletes, known as rikishi, perform their leg stomps to banish dark forces, and where they strike their hands to get the attention of the deities.

Above all this historical practice, a enormous circular monitor - that appears natural at an American basketball game - offers the crowd all the stats and replays they could want.

Global Fans Find Sumo

For one dedicated fan, it was a "unexpected footage" that first captivated her a couple of years ago.

This was soon supplemented with the discovery of dedicated YouTube channels for rikishi houses, where wrestlers live and train, waking up early to work out, followed by a nutritious chankonabe and then an daytime sleep - all in the service of gaining weight.

Traveling from the North, Alternative View

Julia and her partner Cezar discovered sumo through a more traditional route: a trip to Japan six years ago.

"We saw it as a typical visitor experience, but we actually developed passion for the sport," says Julia.

"From there on, we tried to locate groups, resources, just to expand our knowledge about it," the other fan explains.

Unique Chance

Going to Japan is typically the sole method to see a top-flight sumo tournament.

This current tournament marks only the second instance the tournament has visited the city - the previous visit was in 1991.

Even traveling to Asia isn't a guarantee of obtaining admission, with the past period seeing sold-out events.

Live Observation

For many attendees, the London tournament represents the premier chance they have watched sumo in person - and it doesn't disappoint.

"Seeing it up close, you get a understanding of quickness and the force which you won't feel on TV," notes one fan. "They are so big."

The Competition

To achieve victory, one competitor needs to push another off the clay or to the floor using physical force.

The majority use one of dual approaches to accomplish this, often in split seconds - thrusting, or clenching.

Either way, the noise of the two wrestlers meeting in the first moment of the match reverberates around the auditorium.

Front Row Positions

The seats right next to the ring are of course greatly valued - but also, potentially hazardous.

During one specific contest, a tall wrestler fell into the spectators - perhaps making those in more affordable locations breathe a sigh of relief.

Behind the Scenes

Of course, the size of the rikishi is one of the initial aspects most people think of when they contemplate wrestling.

The venue's management revealed they "were required to locate and acquire reinforced furniture which can support 200kg in weight."

But sumo - for all its popular tournaments - is not without its difficulties behind the scenes.

Potential Issues

Perhaps the demanding existence of a professional athlete doesn't look as desirable as it once might have.

Its popularity among youth in Japan is also being competed with by other sports, while Japan's declining population will not help.

Global Community

Not that any of this has worried fans in London.

"Witnessing these custom and formality that goes with sumo is quite special," one enthusiast notes. "Currently, observing it directly, you sense that you are more involved."

For other enthusiastic fans, the excitement "made it so incredible" - as did encountering the other fans.

"Emerging from a very niche online community and being able to observe numerous sumo fans in person and being able to chat with other people who are just as into this as we are - it was absolutely worthwhile."