Japan has welcomed a major step in its comeback as a global sporting centre after the March earthquake and tsunami as Tokyo was confirmed host of the world gymnastics championships as scheduled.
The International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) says that its council had ruled out any reason to change plans to stage the event October the 7th to 16th at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.
The decision was made at the council's meeting on Monday in San Jose, California, reversing a trend of world-class events being disrupted after the double disasters set off a nuclear crisis.
The president of football's world governing body (FIFA), Sepp Blatter, visiting Tokyo on Tuesday, confirmed that Japan would host the 2011 Club World Cup in December as scheduled.
The International Volleyball Federation also decided at the weekend to go ahead with plans to stage the men's and women's World Cup in Japan in November and December.
The world figure skating championships were moved from Tokyo to Moscow and postponed by one month to late April as the tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant continued leaking radiation into the air, sea and ground.
