The Japan Rugby Football Union said Wednesday it will postpone a total of 16 games across two rounds of the 2020 Top League season due to the growing alarm over the spiraling coronavirus crisis.
As the coronavirus outbreak continues to result in canceled events and even threatens the entire season for some sports, Japan's domestic rugby league said the current situation has made it impossible to keep to the original schedule unchanged.
The seventh round of the competition was scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, and the eighth round on March 7-8.
The Top League features 16 teams that play a total of 120 games across 30 different venues in Japan. The season opened on Jan. 12 and is scheduled to end on May 9.
At recent matches, organizers have installed alcohol-based hand sanitizer stations at venues and have asked spectators to take necessary precautions such as wearing masks.