Tokyo governor apologises for provocative remarks on Istanbul bid

Tokyo's governor Naoki Inose, who heads the city's bid for the 2020 Olympics, apologised Tuesday for "inappropriate" comments he made about rival candidate Istanbul.

"I said that Islamic countries fight, it was an inappropriate remark and I want to correct it," Inose told reporters.

"I apologise. My remarks caused misunderstandings among people from Muslim countries, so I would like to unequivocally apologise," he added.

His former controversial remarks, made in a recent New York Times interview, prompted the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to investigate, while Turkey's sports minister said they were "unfair and disheartening" and "did not comply with the spirit of the values of the Olympic Movement", reports Xinhua.

"Islamic countries, the only thing they share in common is Allah and they are fighting with each other, and they have classes," Inose, who was elected Tokyo governor last year, said in the interview.

"For the athletes, where will be the best place to be? Well, compare the two countries where they have yet to build infrastructure, very sophisticated facilities," he said.

Tokyo is competing with Istanbul and Madrid to hold the Olympics for a second time after becoming the first Asian city to host the Games in 1964. Istanbul is bidding for a fifth time after its previous campaigns were unsuccessful.

The hosts for the 2020 Games will be decided at the next IOC Session in Argentina in September.