Rugby: Player for League One 2nd-tier team dies after suffering heatstroke
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan Rugby League One announced Saturday that Saimoni Vunilagi, a Fijian-born forward for second-division club Kyuden Voltex, died a
Saimoni Vunilagi, a forward for Japan's League One team Kyuden Voltex, passed away on Friday after being hospitalized with severe heatstroke symptoms. The 26-year-old, who was born in Fiji, fell ill four days following training on Monday, August 3, 2026. Despite medical efforts at a hospital in Fukuoka, the city where the team is based, Vunilagi succumbed to his condition.
The team, players, and staff are deeply saddened by this tragic loss. Vunilagi, who joined the Tokyo Sungoliath team following his graduation from Daito Bunka University in 2023, had only recently transferred to Kyuden Voltex. Recent extreme heat in Fukuoka and surrounding areas of southwestern Japan led authorities to issue severe heatstroke warnings.
Written by urgent.news from The Mainichi's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
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