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Only a handful of competitions can keep viewers enthralled through 45 minutes of ritual before the initial score is even contested.

Yet the detailed ceremonies unfolding in a compact earthen circle - mostly preserved for centuries - accomplished exactly that.

Experience the Grand Sumo Tournament

This multi-day tournament at the historic concert hall features numerous elite 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.

Historical Ceremonies Meet Current Innovations

It is here the competitors, known as sumo wrestlers, perform their leg stomps to expel dark forces, and where they clap to attract the deities.

Above all this traditional ritual, a massive rotating display - that would fit perfectly at an professional sports event - offers the spectators all the data and video they could want.

International Enthusiasts Discover Sumo

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

This was quickly followed by 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 increasing mass.

From Edinburgh, Another Perspective

Another couple discovered sumo through a conventional method: a journey to Asia six years ago.

"We considered it a typical visitor experience, but we actually developed passion for the sport," notes the enthusiast.

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

Rare Opportunity

Going to Japan is almost the only way to see a top-flight sumo tournament.

This week's event marks only the second occasion the tournament has come to London - the first time was in over three decades ago.

Even visiting the country isn't a guarantee of obtaining admission, with the past period seeing fully attended competitions.

First-Hand Experience

For numerous spectators, the London tournament represents the premier chance they have seen live sumo - and it lives up to the hype.

"Observing directly, you get a sense of the speed and the force which you can't experience on TV," says Caspar Eliot. "Their size is impressive."

The Competition

To succeed, one rikishi needs to move the other man out of the ring or to the floor using raw power.

The primary group use one of dual approaches to succeed in this, often in split seconds - thrusting, or clenching.

Either way, the impact of the two athletes crashing together in the first moment of the match resounds around the hall.

Premium Seating

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

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

Behind the Scenes

Of course, the stature of the athletes is one of the primary elements most people imagine when they think of sumo.

The facility's operators revealed they "were required to locate and purchase additional seating 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 rikishi doesn't look as appealing as it once might have.

Its following among youth in Japan is also being competed with by other sports, while Japan's decreasing numbers will create further complications.

International Network

Not that any of this has concerned enthusiasts in London.

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

For other committed supporters, the excitement "made it so incredible" - as did encountering the fellow enthusiasts.

"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 just as into this as we are - it was completely valuable."