Fiji rugby player dies in Japan of suspected heatstroke as high of 35C hit

Saimoni Vunilagi was hospitalised with symptoms of heatstroke after rugby team training on Monday, but died on Friday.Published On 8 Aug 20268 Aug 2026A Fijian rugby player with a Japanese professional team has died after being taken to hospital with “symptoms consistent with severe heatstroke”, Saimoni Vunilagi’s club said on Saturday.Second-division side Kyushu KV said 26-year-old Vunilagi was taken to hospital in the southern city of Fukuoka after a team practice on Monday, and died on Friday morning.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Argentina and Mexico back Infantino, deepening FIFA divide: What to knowlist 2 of 4Infantino, FIFA try to move beyond botched World Cup sell-off: What we knowlist 3 of 4UEFA’s threatened legal action against Infantino and FIFA: What we knowlist 4 of 4UEFA confirms legal letter served to FIFA after Infantino’s World Cup planend of listTemperatures reached a high of 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) in Fukuoka on Monday.Vunilagi, a back row forward who stood 196cm (6ft5in) and weighed 117kg (258lb), attended university in Japan and began his professional career in 2023.“The players, staff, and all team associates are devastated by...