TOKYO, Dec 20 — The city of Sapporo and the Japan Olympic Committee will be pausing active promotion of Sapporo’s bid for the 2030 Winter Olympics for "a while”, Kyodo news agency reported today.

A widening scandal regarding corruption during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics has prompted several arrests in connection with suspected bid-rigging, and Sapporo’s mayor was quoted last week as saying it might be difficult to carry out promotional activities under current conditions.

Kyodo gave no further information, and the Japan Olympic Committee was not immediately available for comment.

Earlier this month, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to postpone its decision on the host city for 2030, citing concerns about climate change.

Sappporo and Salt Lake City in the United States are the only cities bidding to host the event after others pulled out.

Police in Japan raided the offices of several advertising agencies late in November as part of investigations into the Tokyo 2020 Olympics scandal. In August, Haruyuki Takahashi, a former member of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics board, was arrested on suspicion of receiving bribes from Olympic sponsors. — Reuters