A pre-Tokyo 2020 visit from the Indian Olympic Association has been postponed ©Getty Images

A pre-Tokyo 2020 visit to Japan by the Indian Olympic Association has been suspended as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Kiren Rijiju, India's Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports, confirmed the news on Twitter. 

Rijiju said the trip, designed to review India's preparations for the Games, had been "temporarily postponed".

Several sporting events have been called off in both Japan and India as a result of coronavirus. 

The Indian Premier League cricket tournament has been postponed until April, while an international series between India and South Africa has also been postponed.

In Japan, the beginning of the Nippon Professional Baseball season has been delayed and several events in the run-up to Tokyo 2020 postponed or cancelled, but the International Olympic Committee, Japanese Government and Tokyo 2020 organisers insist they are preparing for the Games to go ahead as planned.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Japan has risen sharply, with at least 1,484 now confirmed, while India has in excess of 100.

The pandemic has impacted sport across the globe, with World Championships, Olympic qualifiers and many of the world's biggest leagues being postponed.