Health & Public Health
Saimoni Vunilagi dies after suspected heatstroke, club says
Fijian rugby player Saimoni Vunilagi has died in Japan after being taken to hospital with “symptoms consistent with severe heatstroke,” his club Kyushu KV said on Saturday.
The Japanese second-division team said the 26-year-old was taken to hospital in the southern city of Fukuoka after a team practice on Monday, August 3, and died on Friday morning. Temperatures in Fukuoka reached 35C on Monday.
Vunilagi, a back-row forward, attended university in Japan and began his professional career in 2023. Kyushu KV said its players, staff and team associates were devastated by his death and offered condolences to his family.
Japan has faced intense summer heat. The fire and disaster management agency said close to 18,600 people were taken to hospital for heatstroke between July 20 and 26, with 45 pronounced dead on arrival.
Japan recorded its hottest summer on record last year, and parts of the country have reached 40C in recent weeks. Scientists say human-induced climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme heat events in Japan and elsewhere.
Update
Kyushu KV said Saimoni Vunilagi was taken to hospital in Fukuoka after team practice on Monday and died on Friday morning.
Temperatures in Fukuoka reached 35C on Monday.
Kyushu KV said Vunilagi had recently joined the club after attending university in Japan and starting his professional career in 2023.
Japan’s fire and disaster management agency said close to 18,600 people were taken to hospital for heatstroke between July 20 and 26, with 45 pronounced dead on arrival.
Source note: AFP news report published on 8 August 2026 at 09:00:51 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The club described the case as suspected severe heatstroke; the final medical cause of death was not independently established in the supplied information.
Source
AFP news report published on .