Whatever hopes fans had for a peaceful end to the year were dashed when Japan Sumo Association officials instructed Takagenji to take part in his regularly scheduled bout on Dec. 11 despite the wrestler being diagnosed with influenza earlier in the day.
Ten years after an influenza A outbreak killed 40 people in Japan, the decision was yet another stunning lack of judgment by JSA executives.
The victims in the 2009 pandemic were mostly aged 60 and over — exactly the same demographic that occupies many of the seats closest to the ring at sumo events.
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