Super Rugby to monitor air quality in new season
Super Rugby on Wednesday announced it will monitor air quality at venues and cancel games if smoke from Australia's unprecedented bushfires presents a safety risk.
The tournament's organising body SANZAAR, said a panel of experts would look into any troubling forecasts, Air Quality Index or particulate readings and other warning signs and make recommendations about games going ahead.
The ultimate decision to cancel a match will lie with SANZAAR's executive committee, the body's spokesman Greg Thomas told AFP.
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"It has been an extraordinary summer in Australia," said SANZAAR chief executive Andy Marinos in a statement ahead of the new season which sees ACT Brumbies face Queensland Reds in the Australian conference opener in Canberra on Friday.
"Naturally, the continued welfare of our players and indeed spectators is a priority for us should such incidents continue to affect the Australian landscape."
Experts say there is no known safe level for exposure to bushfire smoke.
Fires have ravaged large tracts of Australia since September, leaving 33 people dead and thousands of homes destroyed.
During the crisis, Australian cities frequently suffered toxic levels of smoke haze and registered some of the highest levels of pollution in the world.
Fire officials expect the bushfire season to continue until late March in New South Wales state, and even longer in Victoria and South Australia states to the south.