The government’s state of emergency declaration is being extended until the end of the month. Inhabitants are encouraged to stay home, and that includes sumo wrestlers. With multiple wrestlers positive for the Coronavirus, containment is key to stopping the spread of the virus. Tachiai hopes for their speedy recovery.

The official Kyokai announcement for the Natsu Basho is available on their website. The tournament is officially cancelled. As JC called in the comments on our previous post, they aim to hold a tournament in July in TOKYO instead of Nagoya, without spectators. Further, the Fall Jungyo is also cancelled.

The prospect of hundreds of Kyokai staff crowding onto public transport to head to Nagoya was daunting and very risky. If one wrestlers picked up the virus in that trip, it is exceedingly likely that the virus would spread like wildfire throughout the heya. The resumption of physical competition at a Nagoya-hosted basho would then spread the illness further. This is the right move.

Weird headline, no? You were probably expecting something like, “Natsu 2020 cancelled.” The Japanese Government is expected to extend the state of emergency, making even the delayed May tournament untenable. The current state of emergency is scheduled to expire on May 6, the end of the Golden Week holiday.

All eyes turn to Nagoya and the tournament currently scheduled for July. As Osaka was far away from the unfolding spring drama of the Diamond Princess outbreak, maybe a tournament away from Tokyo will be more likely to occur. However, such an event would require uprooting all of the stables from their Tokyo locations.

The formal decision about Natsu is still expected Monday and Tachiai will bring the details, as well as implications for events from Nagoya 2020 and beyond.