Japanese contingency plans for Coronavirus

[Steveweiser]

New Japan and STARDOM have announced their contingency plans for how to handle the threat of New Coronavirus:

NEW JAPAN

All currently scheduled live events will proceed as planned. In light of this decision, we invite attendees to take the following precautions at events:

–Be mindful of your physical condition before an event. If you have a fever, cough or cold symptoms or feel otherwise unwell, please stay home.

–Additional disinfectant alcohol sprays will be available for attendees to use at every venue. We invite every attendee to disinfect their hands on entering each venue.

–NJPW encourages attendees to wear surgical masks at live events where at all possible. Staff members may also be wearing masks. We also encourage fans to thoroughly wash their hands and gargle.

–Please leave the venue if you become unwell during an event. Be aware that staff may advise attendees to leave if they seem unwell.

–Meet and greets/autograph signings at events will be canceled until further notice. We appreciate your understanding.

–Refunds will be made available for tickets purchased to March events. While events will all proceed as planned, we appreciate fans’ concern, and would like to ask ticket holders not to attend if they feel at all unwell.

STARDOM

Due to the current Coronavirus situation in Japan, the following precautionary measures are being taken:

2.19 Mayu Iwatani Birthday Fan Event - cancelled
2.20 Fan signing event - cancelled
2.20 Press conference - will be held, but no fans in attendance
2.22 Osaka show - cancelled
2.23 Nagoya show - cancelled
2.29 Shinkiba show - cancelled
3.8 Korakuen Hall show - will be held, Empty Arena (no fans in attendance)
3.14 Osaka Day and Night shows - cancelled
Refunds to these shows are available. If you are from a foreign country and have tickets, please email [e-mail] and we will help you resolve your case as efficiently as possible.
We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.

[Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-]]

Kinda feels like a super dick move to keep all the New Japan shows going as planned but all the Stardom shows (aside from one but it's an empty arena) get cancelled completely.

I hope the girls who may have been booked can still get bookings in AEW and elsewhere, or are being compensated by Bushi for about seven events getting scrapped.

I get wanting to be safe and I hope they are but it really seems sketchy to me to have New Japan go on as planned with fans and Stardom is almost scorched earth

[Killah Ray]

Feb 18, 2020 3:31:45 GMT -5 Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-] said:

Kinda feels like a super dick move to keep all the New Japan shows going as planned but all the Stardom shows (aside from one but it's an empty arena) get cancelled completely.

I hope the girls who may have been booked can still get bookings in AEW and elsewhere, or are being compensated by Bushi for about seven events getting scrapped.

I get wanting to be safe and I hope they are but it really seems sketchy to me to have New Japan go on as planned with fans and Stardom is almost scorched earth

Yeah that's a super dick move...

[Steveweiser]

Think it's due to resources and the different ways the promotions operate. STARDOM has a lot of fan/wrestler interaction for example.

[AwamoriRock]

Kyona can’t lose in her hometown this time I guess

[BRAINFADE]

Dragon Gate have put out a similar statement. Looks like their shows are going ahead too.

[toodarkmark]

Feb 18, 2020 4:17:47 GMT -5 Steveweiser said:

Think it's due to resources and the different ways the promotions operate. STARDOM has a lot of fan/wrestler interaction for example.

So they can't say "No fan interaction"?

Resources? You mean how much money they spend or make from events decides whether they risk people's lives or not.

Also, the action of canceling all the women's shows and having the men's shows go on is misogynistic on its face value. Whether that is true or not, and I am certain there are other reasons (money and inability to tell fans to not touch wrestlers are two you mentioned), but if I were a female wrestler I would feel pretty dishonored.

[Fundertaker]

Feb 18, 2020 10:44:07 GMT -5 toodarkmark said:

Feb 18, 2020 4:17:47 GMT -5 Steveweiser said:

Think it's due to resources and the different ways the promotions operate. STARDOM has a lot of fan/wrestler interaction for example.

So they can't say "No fan interaction"?

Resources? You mean how much money they spend or make from events decides whether they risk people's lives or not.

Also, the action of canceling all the women's shows and having the men's shows go on is misogynistic on its face value. Whether that is true or not, and I am certain there are other reasons (money and inability to tell fans to not touch wrestlers are two you mentioned), but if I were a female wrestler I would feel pretty dishonored.

Despite being owned by Bushiroad now, STARDOM's budget is still small. Either they would do these shows with people who would pay or they wouldn't do these shows at all as this way it won't really impact them except for building cancellation fees if any. The Korakuen Hall one is the exception as that will probably be televised and they don't want to piss the network off.

Also, now is actually a good time for STARDOM to do this as, due to being owned by Bushiroad, the wrestlers are actually paid on a contract so they'll still receive some. Before that their earnings were 100% dependent on how much of their merch they could make fans buy at the events.

[Heeltown, USA]

The Korakuen show for STARDOM will air for free live on their YouTube channel according to their Facebook account.