Jia Xiquan’s charges will embark on a four-week training camp in Suzhou, with a squad of 23 players called to participate, the Chinese Football Association said on Friday.

The team will use the camp to rebuild their fitness in preparation for a two-legged play-off with Korea Republic, with the winners to join Japan and Australia as Asia’s Olympic women’s football representatives.

Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, following a conference call on Tuesday, agreed to postpone the Games for 12 months.

Having overcome all manner of obstacles to advance from Group B of the Final Round of the AFC Women’s Olympic Qualifiers in Sydney over the past week, the Steel Roses came within two minutes of securing top spot with a shock win over Australia.

A spirited, disciplined performance looked to have paid dividends when Tang Jiali put China ahead in the 86th minute, only for Emily van Egmond’s rocket in the third minute of added time saving the day for the hosts, whose draw was enough for them to top the group on goal difference.

A terrific Tang Jiali strike four minutes from time looked to have sealed a superb win for the Steel Roses, but an equally brilliant added time strike from Emily van Egmond gave the Matildas the draw they needed to win the group on goal difference.

Australia’s final position on the group table means they will face Vietnam next month for a place in Tokyo, while China’s Olympic dream depends on a two-legged contest against Korea Republic.

Wang Shanshan continued her triumphant return to the team with a brace, while Tang Jiali, Wu Haiyan and Li Ying also got their names on the scoresheet in a stunning five-goal first-half blitz.

It may have been a belated start to their bid to reach Tokyo 2020, but the Steel Roses wasted no time in stamping their authority on Group B, as the seven-time Asian champions piled on four first-half goals to put themselves out of sight early in the contest.

Li Ying and Tang Jiali scored two goals apiece, with Zhang Xin and Wang Shanshan also getting on the scoresheet as China took a significant step towards next month’s final play-off round, while Thailand are on the brink of elimination after successive defeats.

Japan’s run of defeats at this month’s SheBelieves Cup saw them fall one place to 11th, with DPR Korea leapfrogging them to become Asia’s second-highest ranked team, with China PR and Korea Republic rounding out the continent’s top five.