NFL to cancel Seahawks' China game

KIRKLAND -- The Seahawks won't be heading to China this summer after all.

The league is expected to announce early this week the cancellation of a game between the Seahawks and New England Patriots that was scheduled to be played in Beijing at Workers Stadium on Aug. 9, league sources confirmed Sunday night.

The story was first reported on SI.com, the Web site for Sports Illustrated.

The problem is one of logistics, on all sides. The league does not think the Chinese are ready to host the game and that the teams involved also are having problems preparing for what was to be the first NFL game in China.

The Seahawks deferred all questions to the NFL office, and league spokesman Greg Aiello declined comment Sunday.

But Stacey James, the Patriots executive director of media relations, told The Associated Press that a team delegation had twice postponed trips to China for planning. It is believed the Seahawks are having similar problems.

"Any announcement would be a league announcement," James said.

The NFL will attempt to schedule a preseason game in China at a later date, league sources indicated, and SI.com said it could come in 2009 at the stadium under construction for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The Patriots and Seahawks were scheduled to play a preseason game at Qwest Field on Aug. 2 and then leave the next day for China. How the cancellation of the game in Beijing will affect that game, and the Seahawks' plans to hold training camp at their Kirkland headquarters, remains to be seen.