Even as governments and organisers of various sports leagues and tournaments study the impact and consequences of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, a report emerged claiming that athletes face a particular risk of the coronavirus infecting their lungs.
As reported by Reuters, it "suggests that due to strenuous exercise, elite athletes are more likely to inhale virus particles and direct them to the lower areas of the lung."
The paper, "produced by Italian immunologists and lung specialists based at institutes in Berlin, Rome and Verona" also suggests that athletes who are asymptomatic could make their condition worse by infecting their lungs during strenuous exertion.
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The report also mentioned a separate new study from Aarhus University, in Denmark, which looks at how much exposure players would have to a single infected player on the field, showed that, on average, a player is positioned within an 'exposure zone' for one minute and 28 seconds during a match.
On Tuesday, the World Players Association, which represents some 85,000 athletes from different sports in over 60 countries, said competitors should not be rushed back to action.
"At the moment there is a lot of pressure from the leagues on all continents to resume," WPA Executive Director Brendan Schwab told Reuters in an interview.
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Meanwhile, FIFA's medical chief Michel D'Hooghe warned football leagues not to start seasons for time being.
D'Hooghe is concerned that finances are being put ahead of health.
He told the Daily Telegraph said: "We are all subject to decisions at national level from the public authorities. It is very simple. Football suddenly becomes not the most important thing in life.
"Everyone has to be very careful for the moment. I have heard in many countries they are thinking about playing football again, with or without the public.
"In my long career I have seen many situations where there has been a balance between economics and health. Mostly the economics won, whether that was about jetlag or football at altitude or in extreme conditions such as pollution situations.
"If there is one circumstance where medical arguments should win against economical arguments, it is now. It is not a matter of money, it is a matter of life and death. It is very simple."
Ligue 1 became the latest major league to end due to the coronavirus pandemic after French prime minister Edouard Philippe announced in a speech to the National Assembly on Tuesday that professional football will not be able to resume before September.
That means the 2019-20 campaign is over, with the next domestic fixtures coming at the start of the 2020-21 season.
"Big sporting events won't happen before September. The 2019-20 professional football season won't restart," Philippe said.
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But the biggest sporting event to face the brunt of the novel coronavirus remains the Tokyo Olympics 2020, which has been postponed for the next year.
Wimbledon, French Open and Indian Premier League are some of the other big sporting events impacted by the pandemic.
COVID-19 can cause lung damage and complications such as pneumonia and, in severe cases, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).
