Spectators Faint Consecutively... Professional Baseball's First-Ever Suspension Due to Heatwave

[Anchor]

As spectators watching baseball games collapsed one after another amid record-breaking heatwaves, professional baseball games have been canceled for two days. This is the first time the professional baseball schedule has been completely suspended since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.

Reporting by Jeon Yeongmin.

[Reporter]

During the Incheon game between SSG and LG on August 4, players and umpires preparing for the top of the 9th inning all looked toward the stands.

A man in his 20s, identified as Mr. A, who was cheering in the first-base stands, suddenly lost consciousness and collapsed.

Mr. A regained consciousness after paramedics performed CPR and even used an automated external defibrillator (AED), and was immediately rushed to the hospital. Shortly after, another man in his 20s, Mr. B, collapsed, and after regaining consciousness following CPR, he was also transferred to the hospital.

The KBO, which had already canceled five games up to August 4 as players complained of heat-related illness symptoms starting last week, declared a complete league suspension following the alarming incidents of two spectators losing consciousness on August 4.

This is the first time professional baseball schedules have been suspended since the COVID-19 pandemic five years ago, and the first time ever in history that a suspension has been caused by a heatwave.

[Koo Ja-wook / Samsung Outfielder: It seems it was the hottest day I've ever played baseball, and since my sweat wouldn't cool down throughout the game, it was such an exhausting match that I didn't want to come outside.]

The KBO will hold a meeting today with the general managers of the 10 clubs and the Players Association to discuss future countermeasures.

Although new operational standards regarding the cancellation and delayed commencement of games under heatwave conditions were already announced on August 4, the decision was made to re-examine the policies from scratch following a series of emergency situations.

With no way to predict when the league will resume at this point, the hiatus in professional baseball is likely to be prolonged if the heatwave continues for a long time.

Professional football has decided to delay this weekend's matches, originally scheduled to start at 7:30 PM, by 30 minutes to begin at 8:00 PM.

(Video by Lee Jae-sung)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.