South Korea pro baseball league cancels games over heatwave
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Water cannons being sprayed into the stands to cool off the crowd during a Korean professional baseball game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, on July 29.
PHOTO: AFP
- South Korea's pro baseball league cancelled all games on Aug 5-6 due to a record heatwave posing risks to players and fans.
- The country experienced extreme heat, hitting 42.5 deg C on Aug 2, causing over 2,200 heat-related illnesses and 19 deaths since May 15.
- The league plans emergency talks to improve safety after multiple spectators collapsed, including 25 treated during a game on Aug 4 in Incheon.
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Seoul – South Korea’s professional baseball league cancelled all games scheduled for Aug 5 and Aug 6 amid a record-setting heatwave that has sent spectators to hospital.
The country has been sweltering in a streak of searing weather – new all-time highs were set three times over the past week alone, peaking at 42.5 deg C on Aug 2.
The Korea Baseball Organization’s (KBO) announcement came a day after President Lee Jae Myung asked authorities to treat the heatwave “as a national disaster” and “make every effort to swiftly implement necessary measures” to protect lives.
The east and west regions of Seoul remained under the highest-level heat alert on Aug 5, issued when the heat index is forecast to reach 38 deg C or temperatures are expected to climb to 39 deg C or higher.
“We have decided to call off all games on Aug 5-6 until comprehensive safety measures are established,” the KBO said in a statement, citing risks to players and fans as extreme temperatures persist.
According to local reports, 10 games scheduled for Aug 5 and Aug 6 across the country were cancelled.
A total of 2,221 people suffered heat-related illnesses, including an estimated 19 deaths, between May 15 and Aug 3, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.
The league said it would convene an emergency executive committee meeting with club officials and representatives of the players’ association to discuss additional safety measures.
The KBO cancelled two games on Aug 4 in Seoul’s Jamsil Stadium and the south-western city of Gwangju after multiple spectators collapsed due to the heat.
During the Aug 4 game between the SSG Landers and LG Twins in Incheon, a male spectator collapsed from a suspected heat-related illness, prompting a nine-minute suspension before he was taken to hospital by ambulance, an SSG official told AFP.
SSG Landers said 25 spectators were treated for heat-related illnesses during the game. AFP
