The International Gymnastics Federation will consider moving the world championships from Tokyo because of concern over Japan's nuclear crisis.
FIG said yesterday it will decide by the end of May whether to go ahead with the October championships at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. The event is the main qualifier for the 2012 London Olympics.
"The FIG and the gymnastics family worldwide are aware of the difficult and critical situation in Japan," the governing body said in a statement. "Today, the consequences of the nuclear catastrophe are still unknown and there is a worldwide anxiety and concern."
FIG said it would work closely with Japanese officials and "follow the development of the nuclear catastrophe closely."
It expressed "the sincere hope that the world championships can be held as foreseen without taking any risk for the health of the participants."
A decision could be taken when the FIG executive committee meets between 18 and 20 May in San Jose, California.
The governing body said gymnasts and officials expressed "deepest sympathy with their Japanese friends."
Japanese organizers have said they still want to host the worlds.
"We do believe that we will host the championships in Tokyo successfully and hope to turn grief and sorrow of Japanese people into energy and courage," Hidenori Futagi, president of Japan's gymnastics federation, wrote last week in a statement published on the official event website.
In the aftermath of the devastating earthquake and tsunami, Japan has already given up hosting rights to figure skating's world championships. The event, which was scheduled to open on 21 March in Tokyo, is now being held from 24 April to 1 May in Moscow.
Earlier yesterday, FIG said it had moved an aerobic gymnastics World Cup event from Tokyo.
FIG said the "unknown repercussions" of problems at the Fukushima nuclear planet mean the competition can't be held as planned on 22-24 April.
The final event of the three-round World Cup series will now be hosted west of Tokyo on 4-5 June in Hamamatsu.