A group of leading current and former athletes have urged their compatriots not to be “overwhelmed” by the uncertainty surrounding the Tokyo Olympic Games and Paralympic Games as the mammoth events struggle to stay on track in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a letter sent out late on Thursday by the Australian Institute of Sport’s Athlete Advisory Committee, chaired by former Commonwealth marathon champion Steve Moneghetti, athletes were asked to ensure their mental health was a top priority given the rising doubts about the viability of the Olympics in 2020.

Athletes around Australia have dedicated almost four years to reaching their peak in time for Tokyo and any postponement could be devastating given the singular focus it takes to compete at that elite level. Many have already had qualification events cancelled or moved due to coronavirus.

Athletes are craving information about Tokyo 2020 amid the global health emergency and despite being in heavy training, have a growing awareness that the Games may not take place this year.

The committee – which also includes surfing champion Sally Fitzgibbons, Australian women’s water polo skipper Rowie Webster, rower Josh Booth, six-time Paralympian Danni De Toro and Paralympic swimmer Matt Levy – sensed a need for an athlete voice and reached out to Olympic aspirants, saying they must find a way to adjust to ‘unprecedented circumstances’.

“For the immediate future, our normal way of life must adjust to unprecedented circumstances. None of us are immune to the impacts of COVID-19,” the letter read.

“In sport we train to be strong, we train to be agile and we train to overcome hurdles. We do this as individuals and as teams. This crisis requires a similar mindset and we believe that with time, all of us will be able to dig deep and overcome the challenge.”

Read The Sydney Morning Herald and the letter from the AIS Athlete Advisory Committee

Read Team Danmark (in Danish), I have tried to translate it here below:

‘There is very little information on how the coronavirus affects athletes in hard training. But athletes and everybody else should not be doing extremely exhausting training at the moment, as this can possibly result in an increased risk of infections.’

‘Studies have been made in the past that support the theory that there can be a so-called ‘open window’ after very hard training (ie extremely exhausting training) where the immune system may be weakened in the hours after training. The theory is that you after hard training is more susceptible to infections, and the theory is supported with studies on marathon runners, which show increased prevalence of respiratory tract infections in the days following a race.’

‘That is why Team Denmark recommends that you do have extremely hard practices during these weeks and that you as always are careful with regards to overtraining. This advice is regardless of whether you have contracted the coronavirus or not, explains the Team Denmark director, Lone Hansen.’

I (Rókur) would like to add to this story, that any alternative training that you start doing now in principle is something that your body is not used to, and that you, therefore, have to then be even more careful.