Prominent Egyptian sumo wrestler Abdel Rahman Shaalan returned home on Thursday on a five-day visit to Egypt. 

The visit of Shaalan, who is accompanied by a media delegation from Japanese TBS, is meant to promote the inbound tourism to Egypt. 

The Egyptian Tourism Promotion Authority has planned a program for the Egyptian wrestler that would take him to Cairo, Minya and Dakahlia. 

Shaalan, who competes in sumo as Osunaarashi (which translates as “the great sandstorm”), is a 138kg, 22-year old Egyptian, who is the first Arab, African and Muslim to compete at the top level of sumo.

Osunaarashi came to Japan in August 2011 to compete, and has moved through the ranks very quickly, competing for less than two years at the lower levels of the sport before joining the highest level of competition (maegashira) this past November.

Source ; MENA