KBO Cancels All Games on Aug. 5–6 Amid Severe Heatwave, Emergency Meeting Set for Tomorrow

As a scorching heatwave grips the entire country, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) is set to hold an emergency meeting on heatwave countermeasures.

Severely recognizing the safety risks posed to spectators and players by the extreme heat, the KBO secretariat will hold an emergency executive committee meeting tomorrow, attended by general managers from all 10 clubs and representatives of the Korea Professional Baseball Players Association.

Prioritizing the safety of spectators and players above all else, the KBO plans to discuss comprehensive operation guidelines and safety measures regarding heatwaves from scratch.

Accordingly, the KBO has decided to cancel all first- and second-team professional baseball games scheduled for August 5 to 6 until comprehensive measures are established.

This brings the total number of games canceled due to the heatwave this year to 15.

The total number of canceled games due to rain and other factors stands at 40.

On the 4th, the KBO secretariat announced detailed operating rules for games according to heatwave severity stages.

Under a heatwave advisory, games will proceed normally, while the issuance of a heatwave warning allows for game times to be delayed by up to 1 hour, reflecting the home team's opinion.

The KBO added that if the highest-level severe heatwave alert, newly established by the Korea Meteorological Administration this year, is issued, games will be canceled before 1:00 PM with safety as the top priority.

A severe heatwave alert is issued when the highest daily perceived temperature is expected to reach 38°C (100°F) or higher, or the highest daily temperature is expected to reach 39°C (102°F) or higher.

The previous day, matches between the NC Dinos and Doosan Bears (at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul) and the kt wiz and KIA Tigers (at Gwangju Kia Champions Field) were canceled as the first instances following the issuance of severe heatwave alerts.

However, during the game between the LG Twins and SSG Landers held at SSG Landers Field in Incheon, a spectator with an underlying medical condition showed symptoms of a heat-related illness and collapsed near the end of the game, requiring emergency evacuation on a stretcher. Following this emergency situation, the KBO secretariat decided to completely re-examine its heatwave countermeasures with a primary focus on safety.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.