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Few sports can keep viewers enthralled through three-quarters of an hour of ritual before the initial score is even contested.

Yet the detailed ceremonies unfolding in a small clay ring - virtually unchanged for hundreds of years - accomplished exactly that.

Experience the Grand Sumo Tournament

This five-day event at the iconic London venue features numerous elite sumo athletes showcasing a sport whose first mention dates back to ancient times.

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

Historical Ceremonies Meet Current Innovations

It is here the athletes, known as sumo wrestlers, perform their shiko exercises to banish evil spirits, and where they clap to attract the deities.

Above all this ancient ceremony, a giant, revolving LED screen - that would fit perfectly at an American basketball game - offers the audience all the stats and replays they could want.

Global Fans Discover Sumo

For Sian Spencer, it was a "random video" that first drew her interest a couple of years ago.

This was soon supplemented with the discovery of specialized online content for rikishi houses, where athletes reside and practice, starting their day early to practice, followed by a high protein stew and then an midday rest - all in the effort toward increasing mass.

From Edinburgh, Different Experience

Different enthusiasts discovered sumo through a more traditional route: a journey to Asia six years ago.

"We approached it as a typical visitor experience, but we actually came to adore the sport," notes the enthusiast.

"After that, we tried to find communities, materials, just to expand our knowledge about it," the other fan explains.

Rare Opportunity

Going to Japan is typically the sole method to see a major championship.

This London competition marks only the second occasion the tournament has visited the city - the first time was in the early nineties.

Even going to Japan isn't a guarantee of obtaining admission, with current times seeing completely booked tournaments.

Live Observation

For multiple fans, the London tournament represents the initial opportunity they have experienced the sport directly - and it lives up to the hype.

"Observing directly, you get a sense of the speed and the power which you can't experience on TV," notes one fan. "They are so big."

The Bouts

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

The most use one of pair of techniques to succeed in this, often in instantaneous actions - shoving, or grappling.

Either way, the sound of the two rikishi meeting in the initial contact of the match echoes around the auditorium.

Front Row Positions

The seats right next to the ring are of course highly prized - but also, somewhat dangerous.

During one recent bout, a 191cm wrestler went plummeting into the audience - perhaps making those in slightly cheaper seats feel relieved.

Internal Challenges

Of course, the dimensions of the rikishi is one of the first things most people imagine when they think of sumo.

The facility's operators revealed they "needed to find and buy new chairs which can take up to 200kg in weight."

But sumo - for all its sell-out events - is not without its difficulties behind the scenes.

Potential Issues

Perhaps the strict life of a rikishi doesn't look as desirable as it once might have.

Its following among the younger generation is also being threatened by different athletic pursuits, while Japan's decreasing numbers will create further complications.

International Network

Not that any of this has troubled spectators in London.

"Witnessing these tradition and practice that accompanies sumo is especially significant," one enthusiast notes. "Now, seeing it in person, you experience being you are more part of it."

For other dedicated followers, the drama "made it so incredible" - as did interacting with the other fans.

"Leaving a particularly focused online community and being able to observe numerous sumo fans live and being able to converse with other people who are equally passionate as we are - it was worth every penny."