Signalling closer ties between the two countries, India is likely to support Japan’s campaign to host the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Union Sports Minister Jitendra Singh is learnt to have assured Japanese Ambassador Takeshi Yagi on Thursday when the latter came to request for India’s support to win the bid.
Currently, three cities - Istanbul, Tokyo and Madrid - are competing to host the Olympics in 2020. Hectic campaigns are being run by three countries wanting to host the prestigious sporting event. The International Olympic Committee will elect the host city on September 7 at the 125th IOC session in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Each active member country of the IOC has one vote each.
If elected, Japan will host Olympics again after 56 years since the last games in Tokyo was in 1964. The candidate city has chosen the popular anime character “Doraemon” as the mascot for the games.
Sources said both the countries also agreed on working jointly to maintain wrestling as the core Olympic sport instead of additional sport.