TOKYO: Japanese Premier League rugby was suspended on Tuesday after scores of players tested positive for the coronavirus, the latest stoppage for sport in the country just six months before the Tokyo Olympics.
The dismissal of the Premier League, in which All Blacks stars Beauden Barrett and Kieran Read, comes at a rise in cases that have provoked a crisis situation in Tokyo and elsewhere in Japan.
Sixty-seven cases have now been reported by the Premier League, which was due to start on Saturday. Officials have not identified those who confirmed positive, or said how many are players or employees.
“It is very unfortunate that we have to postpone the Premier League just days before the opening,” Japan Rugby Football Union chairman Kensuke Iwabuchi said at an online news conference.
“It is also a disappointment for the players and the teams, as we have all been working hard to start the season on this date. But everything has changed in the last few days. ”
The cancellation of the season has been an increase since Tuesday, when two games were postponed after 46 cases appeared at four clubs.
Premier League officials said they hope to start playing in early February and finish the season as scheduled on May 23, possibly in the form of a new, thicker tournament.
However, they cannot make a late finish that could affect the Japanese national team, which is set to play the British and Irish Lions in Edinburgh on June 26th.
“Things are changing from day to day, so we need to be very flexible,” said Premier League chairman Osamu Ota.
“We need to find out who has been in close contact with those infected and decide how long they should be kept away from the group. We need to consider a number of reasons in reorganizing the season. “
