COVID-19: Japan baseball league nears return

Tokyo, May 25 (IANS) The Japanese baseball season is set for resumption after two teams reportedly held practice games on Monday. The league has been suspended since March 20 as a precautionary measure against the spread of coronavirus.

Orix Buffaloes and SoftBank Hawks held respective intra-squad scrimmages at their grounds, as reported by Kyodo News, as the sport looks to get back on its feet in the country.

This comes in the aftermath of authorities lifitng state of emergency in few cities in Japan, namely Osaka and Fukuoka, as the number of positive coronavirus cases showed steady decline.

Capital city of Tokyo is reportedly next in line where restrictions are expected to be lifted soon.

Tokyo was supposed to host Olympics 2020 but due to the outbreak of the virus, the multi-national event had to be postponed to July 23 – August 8, 2021.

These are good signs for the authorities with respect to the Olympics as International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach had earlier conceded that the Games will have to be cancelled if it cannot take place next year.

“You cannot forever employ 3,000 to 5,000 people in an organising committee,” Bach was quoted as saying by BBC Sport. “You cannot have the athletes being in uncertainty.

“There is no blueprint for it so we have to reinvent the wheel day by day. It’s very challenging and at the same time fascinating.”

–IANS

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