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Not many athletic disciplines can captivate an audience through an extended period of ritual before the initial score is even decided.

Yet the detailed ceremonies unfolding in a compact earthen circle - largely unaltered for centuries - managed to do just that.

Welcome to the Prestigious Rikishi Event

This five-day event at the iconic London venue features four dozen top-tier sumo wrestlers showcasing a sport whose initial documentation dates back to the first century BC.

London's Victorian concert venue has been utterly transformed, complete with a elaborate suspended canopy hanging above the competition area.

Time-Honored Rituals Meet Modern Technology

It is here the athletes, known as rikishi, perform their leg stomps to expel dark forces, and where they strike their hands to summon the divine beings.

Above all this ancient ceremony, a massive rotating display - that would fit perfectly at an American basketball game - offers the crowd all the stats and replays they could want.

International Enthusiasts Find Sumo

For an enthusiastic follower, it was a "random video" that first caught her attention a couple of years ago.

This was quickly followed by the discovery of dedicated YouTube channels for sumo stables, where competitors stay and exercise, waking up early to train, followed by a protein-rich meal and then an afternoon nap - all in the service of increasing mass.

Traveling from the North, Different Experience

Another couple discovered sumo through a conventional method: a trip to Japan six years ago.

"We saw it as a typical visitor experience, but we actually ended up loving the sport," says Julia.

"After that, we tried to discover networks, materials, just to learn more about it," her partner continues.

Special Event

Traveling to Asia is generally the primary approach to see a top-flight sumo tournament.

This London competition marks only the second time the tournament has appeared in the capital - the previous visit was in over three decades ago.

Even traveling to Asia isn't a guarantee of getting a seat, with current times seeing sold-out events.

First-Hand Experience

For many attendees, the current event represents the first time they have experienced the sport directly - and it doesn't disappoint.

"Seeing it up close, you get a sense of the speed and the force which you can't experience on TV," notes one fan. "They are so big."

The Competition

To succeed, one competitor needs to move the other man off the clay or to the ground using brute strength.

The primary group use one of pair of techniques to achieve this, often in split seconds - pushing, or wrestling.

Either way, the sound of the two athletes meeting in the initial contact of the match echoes around the hall.

Prime Locations

The seats right next to the competition area are of course greatly valued - but also, a bit risky.

During one specific contest, a 191cm wrestler tumbled into the audience - perhaps making those in more affordable locations experience comfort.

Behind the Scenes

Of course, the size of the athletes is one of the initial aspects most people think of when they consider the sport.

The facility's operators revealed they "had to source and buy new chairs which can support 200kg in weight."

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

Future Challenges

Perhaps the demanding existence of a sumo wrestler doesn't look as appealing as it once might have.

Its following among youth in Japan is also being challenged by alternative competitions, while Japan's falling birthrate will not help.

Worldwide Following

Not that any of this has concerned enthusiasts in London.

"Experiencing the ritual and ceremony that is part of sumo is particularly meaningful," one enthusiast notes. "Today, watching it live, you experience being you are more engaged."

For other enthusiastic fans, the excitement "created amazing experiences" - as did interacting with the fellow enthusiasts.

"Emerging from a very niche online community and being able to see all these sumo fans live and being able to speak to other people who are equally passionate as we are - it was completely valuable."