September 1, 2013 (KHARTOUM) - A Khartoum-based Japanese diplomat has gone head to head with a Sudanese wrestler in a friendship wrestling match in the capital.

Japanese diplomat Yasuhiro “Muro” Murotatsu takes on his Sudanese opponent as part of a friendly wrestling match in Khartoum on 23 August

Embassy staff, including the Japanese ambassador in Sudan, Ryoichi Horie, were among those to attend the match on 23 August between Yasuhiro “Muro” Murotatsu and Sudan’s Al-Mudiriya, who narrowly won the tightly-contested wrestling match.

This is the fourth time the head of the embassy’s culture and information section has challenged a Sudanese wrestler in the context of sports exchange between the two countries at a grassroots level.

Muro lost his first match against Dahiya on 8 February, as well as another two matches against Ahmad Shabaka on 3 May and 5 July respectively.

In an interview following his latest match, Muro vowed to continue wrestling in Sudan despite his successive defeats, saying he is determined to achieve an historic win that he can tell his grandchildren about.

Horie praised the enthusiasm of the Sudanese crowd throughout the match, also expressing his deep appreciation for the hospitality shown towards the Japanese wrestler.

He said that he had been amazed by the large audience that turned out to watch the match despite the heavy rains in the morning.

The ambassador also wished Muro success in his next bout, thanking him for his role in strengthening Japanese-Sudanese relations.

(ST)