Feb 19, 2021
The final edition of the Japan Rugby Top League kicks off Saturday with a plethora of world superstars on show and plenty to play for as the sport looks to make the transition from a corporate-run entity to a more professional competition from 2022.
Beginning next year, the top 25 teams in the nation 16 from the Top League and nine Top Challenge League sides will play in a new three-tier competition, and this year’s results will play a major role in determining which teams enter which division.
The season was originally slated to begin Jan. 16 but was postponed after multiple teams suffered COVID-19 outbreaks.
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KYODO Jan 14, 2021
The Japan Rugby Football Union said Thursday that the start of the 2021 Japan Rugby Top League season will be pushed back to early or mid-February and that the competition format will be modified because of multiple COVID-19 outbreaks among players and staff.
The decision was made after 18 new coronavirus cases among three teams were confirmed on Thursday, two days after 44 people from three teams tested positive for the virus, casting doubt over the league s ability to operate safely in a pandemic.
Jan 8, 2021
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s declaration of a second state of emergency in Tokyo as well as neighboring Kanagawa, Chiba and Saitama prefectures on Thursday could substantially impact sporting events in Japan.
The Japan Sumo Association will stick to hosting the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament as scheduled beginning Sunday at Tokyo’s Ryogoku Kokugikan. After initially limiting ticket sales to 5,000 on each day, the JSA cut off sales on Wednesday with only the first and last days having sold out.
The sumo world was rocked by Tuesday’s announcement that yokozuna Hakuho had tested positive for COVID-19. The JSA decided to proceed with the first