Due to the impact of the new coronavirus outbreak, the Japan High School Baseball Federation has canceled this summer's national high school baseball championship for the first time since the end of World War II.
The federation decided Wednesday to cancel the 102nd edition of the annual event – which was to be played at Hanshin Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, in August – and also regional tournaments scheduled to be held to determine the schools representing each of the nation's 47 prefectures.
This is the third time the summer championship has been axed: the 1918 event was canceled due to social unrest triggered by rising rice prices, and the 1941 edition due to the increasingly severe war situation.
This year's spring invitational tournament, which was scheduled for March, also was canceled due to the coronavirus. Wednesday's decision by the federation marks the first time both tournaments have been dropped in the same year.
The federation made the decision after online meetings by the tournament organizing committee and the board of directors.
The federation decided it was impossible to completely eliminate the risk of infection to players competing in the regional tournaments and at the national championship, where teams from across the nation assemble and stay for an extended period. Compounding these problems, there have been moves to shorten this year's summer school holidays -- when the championship was due to be played – because many schools have been closed for much of the current term due to the coronavirus, and holding the regional tournaments also could interfere with the players' studies. Given the possibility that the 49 participating teams – one from every prefecture, and Hokkaido and Tokyo each having two -- might not be selected in time, the federation decided to cancel the championship.
"Under the current conditions, we can't guarantee the safety of these teenage players," federation Chairman Eiji Hatta said at a press conference. "It would be a stretch to say that these players could take part in top condition. I hope people will understand this was an agonizing decision made after giving utmost consideration to the players' safety and peace of mind."
Hatta encouraged the players deprived of a chance to compete in the championship, saying, "The glory of the players who aimed to participate at the tournament will shine forever."
Following the cancelation of spring tournaments across Japan (Okinawa Prefecture's event was axed midway through), third-year high school players have lost any chance of competing in official baseball tournaments this year. In response, some prefectural high school baseball federations have floated plans to hold their own tournaments. "At the board meeting, we agreed to provide financial assistance for this," Hatta said.
About 3,800 high schools were scheduled to take part in regional tournaments for the summer championship, which was to be held for 16 days from Aug.10.
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