The Japanese Olympic Committee cancelled a Beijing 2022 visit due to the coronavirus outbreak ©Getty Images

The Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) have cancelled a visit to the Chinese capital in preparation for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games due to the coronavirus crisis.

JOC were scheduled cancel the trip after the World Health Organization named coronavirus an international health emergency last week, as reported by Kyodo News. 

An alternative date for the visit has not yet been decided. 

Coranavirus has so far killed more than 300 people and spread to at least 27 countries since it originated in Chinese city Wuhan, with more than 17,000 people infected.

It has also spread to Japan, with 20 people currently infected there. 

A number of sporting events have been affected by coronavirus, with the World Athletics Indoor Championships, initially scheduled for March in Nanjing, the most high-profile sporting event to be postponed so far.

The outbreak of coronavirus in China has affected a number of sporting events ©Getty Images
The outbreak of coronavirus in China has affected a number of sporting events ©Getty Images

It has been delayed by a year until March 2021.

The Chinese women's team were kept in quarantine in Brisbane for a week before the Tokyo 2020 women's football qualifiers for Asia, while the opening test event for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, an Alpine Skiing World Cup in Yanqing, was cancelled.

Other sports affected include boxing, football, wrestling, basketball, tennis, hockey, badminton, diving, equestrian, golf and biathlon.

This year's SportAccord World Sport and Business Summit in Beijing, scheduled for between April 19 and 24, is also at risk.

German Olympic Sports Confederation President Alfons Hörmann described the virus as the "greatest threat" to Tokyo 2020, with organisers confirming they are working with authorities to guarantee the safety of everyone during the Games.