The Japan Sumo Association announced Monday that it has postponed its first-ever tour to South Korea this summer due to fears over the spread of the deadly SARS virus.
The JSA was set to send a delegation of 115 makuuchi division wrestlers, sumo elders and officials to the groundbreaking June 14-15 tournament in Seoul but canceled as the number of people infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome and deaths caused by the virus, particularly in Asia, continues to rise.