Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Tokyo Olympics and Paralympic Organizing Committee CEO Toshiro Muto said Friday that International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach’s scheduled visit to Japan in May has been canceled due to the new coronavirus pandemic.

Bach was to check on preparations for the now-postponed Tokyo Olympics. His trip was to include a visit to Hiroshima, the target of the world’s first atomic bombing, at the same time as the Olympic torch relay’s leg in that city. The torch relay was to have begun on 26 March but was suspended following the official decision to postpone the Summer Games.

It is not yet known when Bach will schedule his next visit to Japan. The Tokyo Olympics, originally scheduled to start on 24 July 2020, are now set to open on 23 July 2021.

In addition to Bach’s cancellation, a meeting between the IOC Coordinating Committee and the organizing committee, originally set to start Wednesday and run for three days, will instead be conducted as a video conference on Thursday.

Muto, who spoke to the media online, said he "strongly hopes" the competition venue and detailed competition schedule for next year’s Olympics will follow the old plan through talks with the various stakeholders.