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Not many athletic disciplines can captivate an audience through three-quarters of an hour of ceremony before the opening contest is even decided.

Yet the complex rituals unfolding in a traditional dohyō - mostly preserved for hundreds of years - managed to do just that.

Experience the Major Sumo Competition

This five-day event at the iconic London venue features 40 of the very best sumo athletes 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 dohyō.

Historical Ceremonies Meet Current Innovations

It is here the competitors, known as sumo wrestlers, perform their foot stomping to drive away dark forces, and where they strike their hands to summon the deities.

Above all this historical practice, a enormous circular monitor - that appears natural at an NBA match - offers the audience all the data and video they could want.

International Enthusiasts Embrace Sumo

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

This was soon supplemented with the discovery of dedicated YouTube channels for training facilities, where athletes reside and practice, starting their day early to work out, followed by a nutritious chankonabe and then an afternoon nap - all in the effort toward increasing mass.

From Edinburgh, Different Experience

Another couple 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," notes the enthusiast.

"Subsequently, we tried to locate groups, materials, just to learn more about it," the other fan explains.

Rare Opportunity

Visiting the homeland is typically the sole method to see a elite competition.

This week's event marks only the second time the tournament has come to London - the previous visit was in 1991.

Even visiting the country isn't certain of securing tickets, with the past period seeing sold-out events.

First-Hand Experience

For multiple fans, the London tournament represents the initial opportunity they have watched sumo in person - and it doesn't disappoint.

"Seeing it up close, you get a understanding of quickness and the power which you won't feel on TV," says Caspar Eliot. "Their stature is remarkable."

The Matches

To win the match, one competitor needs to move the other man out of the ring or to the ground using brute strength.

The most use one of dual approaches to accomplish this, often in instantaneous actions - pushing, or clenching.

Either way, the noise of the two athletes meeting in the first moment of the match resounds around the venue.

Front Row Positions

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

During one specific contest, a 191cm wrestler tumbled into the audience - perhaps making those in less expensive positions experience comfort.

Behind the Scenes

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

The facility's operators revealed they "were required to locate and purchase additional seating which can withstand 200kg in weight."

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

Future Challenges

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

Its appeal among youth in Japan is also being challenged by alternative competitions, while Japan's falling birthrate will present additional challenges.

International Network

Not that any of this has worried fans in London.

"Witnessing these custom and formality that accompanies sumo is especially significant," one enthusiast notes. "Today, watching it in person, you sense that you are more part of it."

For other enthusiastic fans, the drama "produced unforgettable moments" - as did meeting the other fans.

"Leaving a particularly focused online community and being able to see all these sumo fans in person and being able to speak to other people who are similarly enthusiastic as we are - it was worth every penny."