Kawasumi, foreign-based soccer stars, to skip Olympic torch relay

Nahomi Kawasumi, a star of Japan's 2011 women's soccer World Cup-winning side, confirmed Monday she will not join her history-making teammates when they kick off the Tokyo Olympic Games torch relay later this month.Members of the Nadeshiko Japan 2011 World Cup squad will carry the torch on the first domestic leg of the relay, which will start on March 25 at J-Village soccer training center in northeastern Japan's Fukushima Prefecture.But difficulties in making travel arrangements during the coronavirus pandemic have led the U.S.-based Kawasumi, as well as Mana Iwabuchi and Saki Kumagai, bot…READ FULL ARTICLE