Apparently a drug scandal is hitting the world of sumo wrestling. Two Russian wrestlers have tested positive for marijuana while another is arrested after the police discovered a marijuana cigarette inside his lost wallet.

According to the BBC report, sumo wrestlers are held to high moral standards and any transgressions are dealt with swiftly by the sport's governing body.

And because Japanese law punishes the possession of marijuana but not its use, the wrestler who has the cigarette inside his wallet has been banned for life from the sport. As for the two who tested positive, they will not be prosecuted, but will most likely face tough sanctions by The Sumo Association.

Update 9/8/2008:
The Sumo Association's chairman Kitanoumi took responsibility and resigned as a result. The two wrestlers in question, Roho and Hakurozan, were kicked out of the sport by the Association in an emergency meeting.

Photo: Eckhard Pecher