TOKYO, May 31, 2022 (BSS/AFP) - International Olympic Committee officials on

Tuesday began inspecting competition venues in the northern Japanese city of
Sapporo, seen as a frontrunner to host the 2030 Winter Games.

On their three-day visit the IOC delegation will also look at road access in
and around Sapporo, which was the first Asian city to host a Winter Olympics
in 1972.

A city official told AFP that the visit is "part of our continued dialogue"
with the IOC and that "we also hope to receive technical advice" from the
organisation.

The three-member team plans to visit 16 venues in the Hokkaido region, of
which Sapporo is the capital.

Sapporo hosted the marathon and race walk events at Tokyo's Summer Games last
year so that athletes could compete in a cooler climate.

Tokyo 2020 went ahead after a year's pandemic delay and faced public
opposition in the months before the event, which was held mostly without
spectators over Covid-19 fears.

Sapporo is viewed as a leading contender for 2030 but is likely to face rival
bids from other previous Olympic hosts such as Salt Lake City and Vancouver.

The IOC is expected to announce the host city at its general meeting in a
year's time.