Ankara, May 2 (IANS): Turkey's sports minister has accepted an apology from the governor of Tokyo for criticising Istanbul's bid for the 2020 Olympics.

Turkish Youth and Sports Minister Suat Kilic Wednesday said: "W.e now wish for a friendly competition between the candidate cities abiding by the criteria established by the International Olympic Committee."

Tokyo Governor Naoki Inose apologised Tuesday after he had said in an interview to the New York Times that "Islamic countries, the only thing they share in common is Allah and they are fighting with each other", reports Xinhua.

His controversial remarks soon prompted criticism in Turkey and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

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.