The International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed on Monday that Japan's Sapporo City changed its bid for the 2026 Winter Olympics to the event of 2030 because of the earthquake in Hokkaido that led to huge damage.

Representatives of the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) and the IOC met on Monday in Lausanne, Switzerland, before a statement was released, saying: "The Japanese National Olympic Committee and the IOC agreed today that the IOC would not put Sapporo on the list of candidates for the Olympic Winter Games 2026, but to continue with the close dialogue already underway for the Olympic Winter Games 2030."

A magnitude 6.7 earthquake hit northern Japanese prefecture Hokkaido last week and led to at least 44 deaths, over 2,000 injuries and hundreds of millions of US dollars in economic loss, not to mention the huge damage to roads and buildings. As one of the major cities in Hokkaido, Sapporo understandably finds it difficult to continue their bid for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The IOC said that it understood the city's situation and its current priority which should be recovery from the catastrophe. Meanwhile, Sapporo remained "strongly interested in a candidature for the Olympic Winter Games 2030," a statement on the IOC website said.

If Sapporo gains a candidature for the 2030 Winter Olympics, the city will have "a one-year non-committal Dialogue Stage," the statement said, to communicate with the IOC over how to host the event, leaving more time for better preparation.

As the Japanese city pulls out of competition, four other locations remain in the running: Calgary, Canada; Stockholm, Sweden; Erzurum,Turkey; and a three-city bid from Cortina d'Ampezzo, Milan and Turin, Italy. The IOC will announce the host city on September 11, 2019, in Milan.

(Top picture: The International Olympic Committee /VCG Photo)