Barcelona forward Lionel Messi and Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola have both made donations worth €1 million to help overburdened health care systems deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

The large part of Messi and Guardiola's contributions will go towards the fight against COVID-19 in Spain, the second-most affected country in Europe after Italy.

The latest figures made available by the Spanish health ministry on Tuesday revealed there have been almost 40,000 confirmed cases and nearly 3,000 deaths in the country.

Messi's donation will be split between two medical centres: Hospital Clinic in Barcelona and another in his native Rosario, Argentina. A source told ESPN that the total donation is worth around €1m.

"Thank you, Leo, for your commitment and your support," the Twitter account for Hospital Clinic posted on Tuesday.

Messi has regularly donated to hospitals in Barcelona. Last year, through his foundation, he helped fund a new cancer wing at the Sant Joan de Deu children's hospital in the city.

Former Barcelona coach Guardiola has also provided support to help Catalonia's battle against coronavirus. The region in the northeast of Spain has registered 8,000 cases so far. There have been over 200 deaths.

Guardiola's donation, also to the total of €1m, will go to the Barcelona Medical College and the Angel Soler Daniel foundation. A statement said it will be used for the "acquisition of sanitary material during the COVID-19 emergency."

Messi and Guardiola join a growing list of personalities from the world of football to offer financial help as the world grabbles to contain the spread of the virus.

Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo has also stepped in by combining with his agent, Jorge Mendes, to finance hospitals in Portugal.

They will fund North Lisbon's University Hospital Centre (CHULN) with two intensive care wings and an intensive care wing in Porto's Santo Antonio hospital, which is part of Porto's University Hospital Centre.

Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski has also contributed €1m to the fight against the pandemic, while members of the German national team joined together to give €2.5m.

With lockdown measures in place across Europe, all football is currently suspended. This summer's European Championships have been moved to next year and domestic leagues are on an indefinite hiatus.

BARCELONA -- I guess that the past two weeks have proven that, when our sporting fix is withdrawn, we miss it instantly.

Sadly, the coronavirus pandemic means we live in a time of force majeure: circumstances that were beyond the control of the general public to prevent and are impacting massively on the life we've come to count on. As such, it's vital that we alter our behaviours and dial down the "I want it, thus I'll do it/go get it" impulse that dominates many societies across the world.

Sport, gradually, has closed down -- La Liga, which I have covered for 25 years, has been idle since March 10 -- and in light of how global health services are struggling and how many people have already suffered or died, that's both inevitable and correct. Writing this column while simultaneously fearing for many people I know who seem vulnerable to the coronavirus doesn't quite seem "wrong," but let's just establish here and now the shared agreement between writer and reader that there are now many thousands of subjects more vital, more pressing and more worrying than football.

However, I suggest that many of us struggle without football, not only because it has a hypnotic effect, but because it genuinely stimulates something very close to "love" in us. If you remove the endorphins, this wonderful, eccentric, frustrating, heartbreaking, uplifting and heroic sporting stimulant causes us, then we are going to hurt. Badly.

Perhaps it's for this reason that there's such huge attention and emphasis right now on the re-establishing of a provisional calendar -- both by the respective authorities and by the (deprived) public.

Club finals and league climaxes suggested, hypothetically, in June and July (with the European Championship and Copa America postponed until 2021). More peripheral issues -- such as when the 2020-21 season might begin, how or whether all this will domino toward the winter 2022 World Cup -- can wait for the moment.

It's right and proper that the authorities build plans for a resumption. There's no point in our scientists and health practitioners fighting this virus, eventually turning the corner, and then there being absolutely nothing either planned or put in place. Especially given that, just like in broader society, there are many within football whose economic status will now prove to not only have been parlous, but disastrous.

Some clubs, I fear, will get very close to bankruptcy if it proves impossible to resume the calendar by late spring or early summer. The loss of revenue is both enormous, unplanned for and, in the case of force majeure, usually uninsured. But each club, no matter how small, is a myriad of people, and there will, heartbreakingly, be employees, voluntary staff, part-time workers and above all fans who are going to be impacted very badly while the virus is fought.

Let me just return to emphasising what is even more vital right now; that all of them, all of you, remain healthy and strong. However, that granted, there are two things that seem firmly clear.

The first, and this is opinion not expertise, is that it seems very optimistic to think that we'll have European football -- whether that's Europa League or Champions League -- any sooner than many months from now. I hope I'm wrong, but having travelled across Europe recently, what's starkly clear is that there is a staggered effect of how this pandemic is affecting each country and how each nation has reacted. It therefore seems unreasonable to think that every league will be ready to resume at the same time.

Right now, it's important for as many of us as possible to be informed, responsible, active, generous and positive -- but that last word doesn't seem to me to include blind optimism.

I think those of us who either rely on football for a living, for enjoyment, for passion, for "love," for distraction or because it's a genuine daily requirement should prepare for the possibility that we are a long way away from being sure about finishing the majority of competitions.

And even when we finally begin play or some sense of "normal" daily life again, what then?

Over the past couple of decades, football's global grip has continued to mushroom. I'd wager that until this deeply unpleasant and unanticipated hiatus, it was possible to watch soccer about 364 days a year every year and, obviously, right around the clock irrespective of where you are in the world.

For some players that's a gold mine. They earn a good living, they are exposed to a healthy degree of fame and rewards -- and they have downtime. However, for the huge tier of football considered "elite," we've been squeezing them until their pips squeak and the very juices fueling their greatness begin to run dry.

At the very top, Lionel Messi has played a game just under every six days for the past 10-and-a-half years -- a total of 649 matches for club and country. Add in training, travel, physio, sponsorship demands, sleep, media responsibilities and it's amazing the man has time to think.

He's not the norm, but if you were to canvass the vast majority of the world's absolute top footballers, they'd admit that while technical ability and athleticism were originally their key talents, the talent of managing tiredness, pain and incessant stress/pressure now needs to equal those original skills.

So, what will happen when those guys have weeks, perhaps months, of free time on their hands? Time spent with loved ones. Time spent reflecting. Time aching for the wit and jocular aggression of the training ground. Time assimilating how much they've earned and, just perhaps, reevaluating the balance between how vital that next transfer, or that new contract, is in comparison to actually enjoying their profession.

I'll wager that whenever we do finally return to organised competitive professional football in front of crowds, much will have changed, even if only temporarily, when it comes to the players. For one, not all the fans, who previously roared their support and proudly wore their club's colours, will be there. That's just a sad fact of how this ugly virus is going to affect us all.

As for the players, I wonder to what extent being deprived of the right to exercise their skills, being deprived of their livelihood, affects them in a lasting way. Some will become very morose very quickly. The stories from those footballers who retire without a plan, without a structure, educates us to this fact.

But what about those players whose contracts will run out this year (June, to be precise) and what will either they or their clubs be able to do about that if force majeure still rules, football hasn't recommenced and nobody is any the wiser about when it will?

Will clubs be unwillingly forced to sell or release players they'd planned to keep because budgets are so badly affected? Will there automatically be the same number of buying clubs queuing up?

Is it also feasible that an elongated period of rest for those footballers who remain unaffected by ill-health induces a greater love of the game in their psyches -- or induces some to conclude that, actually, they can do without it and they'd rather be playing golf and living off their savings?

The point Wayne Rooney made recently about having felt like a commodity, having felt like football in England adopted an attitude of "the show must go on at any cost irrespective of the consequences" -- that hit home, too. I wonder if some of our elite footballers return back more vocal, more militant and ready to fight for a better, fairer, more balanced calendar when things return if not to "normal," but the new "norm"?

I wish all of you safety and health, I fervently wish that beautiful, crazy, frustrating, uplifting, operatic, divine football is back as soon as is possible, achievable and sensible.

But right now, I think that we shouldn't expect these provisional new dates to hold fast, or that things will be wholly recognisable when stadia begin to fill, referees whistle for kickoff and fans, finally, can declare devotion for their heroes again.

Christian Pulisic of the U.S. and Mexico's Raul Jimenez have established themselves in Europe's top leagues, but the form of Bayern Munich's Alphonso Davies has seen the Canadian international garner increasing attention. Does he belong in the conversation among the leading overseas CONCACAF stars? Indeed, is he already No. 1? We asked ESPN writers Arch Bell (@ArchBell) and Tom Marshall (@mexicoworldcup).

Alphonso Davies' form this season has seen him emerge as a top talent. Arch, what's his deal?

Davies is coming like a freight train. Barely a year after arriving from MLS, the 19-year-old has become a surefire starter at Bayern Munich, showcasing blistering pace and an ability to win 50-50 challenges. No doubt he has the talent and skill to surpass the likes of Jimenez and Pulisic, but the question is whether he can lift Canada to new heights.

What Davies has going for him at the international level is that he can provide service on the left to fellow emerging Canadian star Jonathan David, who plays in Belgium for gent and is just 20. That combination has the potential to score a lot of goals for Canada in the coming decade.

Tom, how far is Davies from being up there with the best from these parts?

Davies is the continent's biggest under-20 talent. While his path from Vancouver Whitecaps hasn't always been smooth, the fact he is now starting regularly at a global giant tells you all you need to know about his development. Bayern don't gradually build players up; they field them when they are ready to do a job. And Davies is doing that, particularly impressing in the 3-0 Champions League win at Chelsea.

The one thing stopping him from challenging the likes of Pulisic and Jimenez right now is that he only began to get regular starts with his club in October. In other words, he has shown good form so far, but must perform over a longer period -- 18 months, say -- if he is going to claim the crown.

Arch, if we are to widen the net a little to include the whole confederation, where does Pulisic stand among CONCACAF's best?

It is hard to believe he is still just 21, because Pulisic has been one of the preeminent North American players in Europe for some time, with over 100 domestic appearances in the Premier League and Bundesliga combined.

Outside Keylor Navas, who is at PSG having won trophies for Real Madrid, Pulisic is the most accomplished CONCACAF player in the UEFA Champions League, with 26 matches under his belt. After a rocky start following his $73 million switch from Borussia Dortmund to Chelsea, he became a starter and showed he can handle the pressure that comes with playing at Stamford Bridge, before suffering an injury just after Christmas.

On the international front, it is time for Pulisic to lead the United States to a trophy, whether it be the Nations League or Gold Cup. Moreover, he has still has not scored against Mexico, let alone played in a win against them, so an alpha dog performance against his country's biggest rival should also be on his to-do list.

Tom, Jimenez has been stellar for Wolves and Mexico. What is the argument for him to be the main man?

It centers upon the numbers and consistency of a player at the peak of his powers. In this Premier League season, Jimenez has 13 goals and six assists -- only three players have more combined -- in 29 games for a team that is not considered one of England's "big six."

In other words, Jimenez has been an essential part of Wolves' push for a Champions League place, not just because of his goals, but his all-around play. Add to that his nine goals in 13 Europa League appearances and his impact for Mexico -- he has eight goals in his last 12 games for El Tri -- and the former Club America striker has shown a consistently high level.

There are two lingering questions for Jimenez at this stage of his career. The first is whether he can step up to impact the Champions League, given previous spells Atletico Madrid and Benfica involved long stints on the bench. Whether the 28-year-old can achieve that objective at Wolves remains to be seen, although there would be no shortage of suitors should he become available.

The other question is how much impact Jimenez can make with the Mexican national team. He was a bit-part player at the 2014 and 2018 World Cups, but under Gerardo Martino is undoubtedly the starting No. 9; fitness and form permitting, he will get a chance to produce on the big stage in Qatar three years from now.

Tom, we have made the case for three top candidates. How would you rank them and is anyone else worthy of mention?

In order, my CONCACAF top five would be Jimenez, Keylor Navas, Pulisic, Davies and Carlos Vela. While Davies is an easy pick in a best XI at left-back, it's premature to say he is the best in the region. Obviously, he and Pulisic have age on their side and it would be no surprise if, in four years, there is a three-way fight for this award involving Davies, Pulisic and Hirving Lozano, 24.

Arch, what is your final take?

I agree with Tom. Davies is not quite the best player in CONCACAF, but he is certainly in the top five and an easy choice for left-back / left wing-back in a best XI. Other decorated players like Pulisic, Lozano and Jimenez have accomplished more in Europe, while Davies also needs a transcendent performance in World Cup qualifying.

Looking further ahead, which players could be part of the 'best in CONCACAF' conversation in the future?

Sergino Dest

Committing his future to the U.S. over Netherlands was a major coup for the national team and even though the right-back has started only 15 Eredivisie games for Ajax, Dest is already attracting interest from Bayern Munich. -- Marshall

JJ Macias

Macias is the next in line to the throne of Mexico's starting No. 9. The Chivas striker is keen on a move to Europe and has impressed early in his Liga MX career. -- Marshall

Giovanni Reyna

The son of USMNT great Claudio, Reyna is poised for big things at Borussia Dortmund, where he is playing Champions League soccer alongside fellow wonderkids Erling Haaland and Jadon Sancho. -- Marshall

Josh Sargent

He has had ups and down at Werder Bremen, but the American striker is just 20 and has plenty of room to grow. Three goals in 18 league matches is not bad; with maturity he can develop into a Bundesliga star. -- Bell

Roberto Alvarado

Alvarado made his club debut in Mexico's second division aged just 15 in 2013 and has continued to show maturity on the field. The versatile Cruz Azul midfielder / forward looks ready for a move to Europe. -- Marshall

Gleofilo Vlijter

The Suriname starlet, 20, led all scorers during 2019-20 CONCACAF Nations League with 10 goals in four games. Currently with Aris Limassol in Cyprus, Vlijter will surely find himself in a more competitive environment soon. -- Bell

Manfred Ugalde

The Costa Rican 17-year-old was named Best Young Player of the 2019 CONCACAF League, scoring four goals and helping Saprissa win the title. Ugalde has 10 goals in 33 games in Costa Rica's first division; Europe will be calling soon. -- Bell

The third fight between heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury and former titlist Deontay Wilder is still on track to be their next bout, but it will not take place on July 18 as originally planned due to the coronavirus pandemic, Top Rank chairman Bob Arum told ESPN on Tuesday.

After Fury knocked out Wilder in the seventh round of their rematch on Feb. 22 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Wilder exercised his contractual right to an immediate third fight.

Arum, Fury's co-promoter with Frank Warren, said the bout would be July 18, also at the MGM Grand, and that it would headline another joint pay-per-view between ESPN, Fury's broadcaster, and Fox, a broadcast outlet for Premier Boxing Champions, which represents Wilder.

However, with the coronavirus situation so fluid, Arum told ESPN that they instead would look toward the fall to schedule the bout.

"Clearly not," Arum said of the bout being on July 18. "We don't even know if the MGM will even be open by then."

Casinos throughout Las Vegas are closed and the Nevada State Athletic Commission has canceled all combat sports in the state for the time being.

"You could not guarantee the fighters that the event would take place on that date. We couldn't convince them or ourselves," Arum said. "Where were they going to train for it? It just made no sense. You just have to take a step back. How are you going to sell tickets? It's absolutely ridiculous to say the fight is on when the Brits can't even get there."

Thousands of fans from Fury's home country of England traveled to the United States for the rematch as well as for the first fight, a controversial split draw in 2018, in Los Angeles.

"So everybody has to take a step back. Boxing is not isolated. It's part of what's happening in the world," Arum said. "So possibly the fight will be in early October."

Arum said he has been in touch with Wilder co-manager Al Haymon, the head of Premier Boxing Champions, and said they are on the same page.

"Al and his people are in touch with us all the time on this," Arum said. "We see things the same way. We'll be very, very cautious moving ahead and pray this will be over at a particular time and we will be able to make smart plans. Nobody has ever experienced anything like this before."

OXFORD, Miss. -- It happened so fast, Tyrone Nix can't remember who said it first.

What the former Rebels outside linebackers coach does remember is that the Ole Miss coaches' headsets were buzzing with essentially the same ominous message after Ole Miss receiver Elijah Moore dropped to all fours in the end zone, lifted his leg and pretended to urinate like a dog to flush away his team's chances in the 2019 Egg Bowl against Mississippi State.

"That right there freaking probably cost us our jobs," Nix recounted. "That was the quote."

Moore's 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, which contributed to the Rebels missing a 35-yard extra point attempt and falling to Mississippi State 21-20 at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, sparked an unexpected football upheaval in the state of Mississippi, the kind that promises to make the Egg Bowl -- a rivalry that one SEC power broker says makes Alabama-Auburn "look like Sunday school" -- even more intriguing, if that's possible.

Nix, now UTSA's defensive coordinator, has no doubt Moore's excessive celebration was the final blow for then-Ole Miss coach Matt Luke.

He's not alone.

"I remember thinking, 'Is it going to come down to a kid pretending to pee in the end zone that's going to cost us our jobs?'" recounted Rich Rodriguez, who was Ole Miss' offensive coordinator last season. "I guess everybody has their reasons. Sometimes kids just make mistakes. Elijah's a good kid, and you hope he's not defined by that. You sure as hell would hope that a program is not defined by a guy making a mistake. Matt did a great job with discipline on that team. It was just a spur-of-the-moment bad decision that young guys sometimes make, and here we are."

Even the guy who now occupies the Ole Miss head-coaching office, Lane Kiffin, agrees he wouldn't be in Oxford now had that not happened. "That just shows you how stupid this profession is," Kiffin told ESPN. "If that kid doesn't lift his leg or they make the extra point [and end up winning], Matt Luke is still here and Joe Moorhead is fired the next day [at Mississippi State] instead of the other way around.

"That's the profession."

Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter also acknowledges everything changed that night.

"As I kind of took the pulse and reading the tea leaves from our fan base, I felt like there was a large portion of our fan base that had been on the fence that were maybe willing to give Matt another year and see where we could take this thing," Carter said. "But when the events of that night happened, it kind of put those people on the other side of the fence."

Three days after the stunning Egg Bowl loss, Carter fired Luke, a former Ole Miss football player, whose father and brother also played for the school. Luke, who was promoted to unite the fan base after the firing of Hugh Freeze and an NCAA investigation, had a 15-21 record in three seasons.

"I still think Matt Luke was the right man for the job," Nix said. "It was only a matter of time before we were going to get it turned. It's unfortunate that one play got him."

Luke wasn't even the coach who was supposed to lose his job after the Egg Bowl. There was much more pressure on Moorhead, a former Penn State offensive coordinator and Pittsburgh native who never seemed to be an ideal fit in Starkville.

After the Rebels handed the Bulldogs an unexpected victory in the Egg Bowl, Moorhead famously said on Thanksgiving night: "This is my team, this is my school, this is my program. You'll have to drag my Yankee ass out of here."

Rick Cleveland, an award-winning columnist who has covered sports in the state for more than 40 years, was in the room the night Moorhead uttered those words and immediately looked over to Mississippi State athletic director John Cohen.

"He looked like he was constipated," Cleveland quipped.

Moore's actions led to a string of dominoes that no one in the Magnolia State could have seen coming:

1. Less than a week after Carter fired Luke, the school hired Kiffin, who won a pair of Conference USA championships at Florida Atlantic but had drama-filled tenures at Tennessee and USC in his first two collegiate head-coaching stops.

2. Kiffin was actually at the top of Arkansas' list to replace fired Chad Morris, after candidates such as Memphis' Mike Norvell and Auburn's Gus Malzahn declined interest in the opening. When Kiffin chose Ole Miss, Arkansas athletics director Hunter Yurachek hired Georgia offensive line coach Sam Pittman, a former Hogs assistant.

3. Two days after Pittman left, Georgia coach Kirby Smart hired Luke as his team's new offensive line coach.

4. Moorhead, who seemed to be safe after the Egg Bowl victory, was fired on Jan. 3, four days after the Bulldogs lost to Louisville 38-28 in the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl to finish 6-7 in his second season. That's despite going 2-0 against Ole Miss. Moorhead was later hired as Oregon's offensive coordinator.

5. Six days later, the final domino fell when the Bulldogs hired Washington State's Mike Leach, who had also interviewed for the Arkansas vacancy. Mississippi State had targeted former player Joe Judge, but he became the New York Giants' head coach, which led the Bulldogs back to Leach after some earlier conversations.

"It wasn't just some mad dash to the SEC. I was very happy in Pullman. I loved Washington State," said Leach, who was close to landing the Tennessee head-coach job in 2018 before athletic director John Currie was fired and replaced by Phillip Fulmer. "I'd been [at Washington State] eight years and just wanted to see what was on the other side of the hill."

And just like that, football in the state of Mississippi became a must-see event -- on the field, at the podium and on Twitter.

"I don't know," Ole Miss legend Archie Manning said when asked if the state of Mississippi was ready for Kiffin and Leach. "But I do know this: It's sure not going to be boring."

Leach, unique personality aside, won eight-plus games from 2015 to 2018, nine-plus in three of those seasons. And while it's true he struggled against rival Washington, it's also worth remembering the Cougars had 13 non-winning seasons in the 17 years before his arrival in Pullman.

"Having coached for a long time in the SEC, I can tell you the defensive coaches are going to hate that Mike is in that league," Duke coach David Cutcliffe said. "They threw the ball 710 times last year at Washington State and completed over 70% of them and had the ball almost the whole game. It's going to be interesting because he's going to do it his way."

The same goes for Kiffin, whom Carter saw as somebody who could energize the Ole Miss program. But the first thing Carter wanted to do was to get to know Kiffin before going too far down that road, especially given some of the controversy that has followed Kiffin throughout his career.

"You've got to sit across from people and look them in the eyes and size them up and get a comfort level that you can coexist with this person and be successful with this person and lock arms," Carter said. "When I sat down with Lane in [Boca Raton, Florida], it didn't really take me long to figure that out, that we had a shared vision."

It's no secret Kiffin wanted to get back into the SEC and had emerged as the top candidate at Arkansas. But Ole Miss was the job he really wanted. He just wasn't sure Ole Miss wanted him.

"I just remember thinking, 'Can Ole Miss please call today?'" Kiffin said.

And even though Kiffin is adamant it's a more mature, gracious version of the Lane Train that gets his second shot as a head coach in the SEC, he can't help himself when asked what went through his mind while watching his friend and former colleague Ed Orgeron win the national championship at LSU last season.

"I was thinking that maybe I've got a chance. Pat Haden fired Ed, too [at USC]. Pat Haden didn't think Ed was good enough, either," Kiffin said.

Despite "any perceived risks" in hiring Kiffin, Carter said the Ole Miss administration trusted him to make the decision.

"There were people I was talking to, bouncing things off of and seeking advice from, and certainly there were some things that came up about Lane's journey and some of the things that were out there," Carter said. "But ultimately, I felt like the risk-reward factor was much more to the reward side and that there was an opportunity for Lane to come in really from day one and galvanize our fan base and create a buzz around our program, which has happened not only here but nationally.

"We haven't won a game yet, but we're relevant and relevant nationally because of his reputation and his name and the things he's accomplished in football."

Nobody is more revered by Rebels fans or more invested in Ole Miss football than Manning, who admitted to ESPN that he was "a little surprised" when Kiffin was hired.

"I say that because of some of the things that have happened surrounding him in the past," Manning said. "But I know he's capable and hope he's learned from some of his past experiences. We all learn from the past. But I'm all for him. He's my coach."

Kiffin and Manning have traded text messages since Kiffin was hired. And, yes, Kiffin has already dropped by Isidore Newman School in New Orleans, where the latest Manning quarterback is honing his skills. Archie's grandson, Arch Manning -- son of Cooper Manning -- is a rising sophomore already drawing the interest of recruiters from all over the country.

"Some people say we needed a splash hire. We needed the right hire," Manning said. "It was getting a little apathetic. Some of the crowds were really down, especially for the nonconference games. But, man, it's a tough conference."

Apathy was also setting in at Mississippi State, which had struggled to remain relevant nationally after former coach Dan Mullen departed following the 2017 season. In 2014, Mullen and quarterback Dak Prescott guided the Bulldogs to their first No. 1 ranking with a 9-0 start. MSU finished 10-3, including a 31-17 loss to Ole Miss.

After three more seasons, Mullen left for Florida, where he had worked as offensive coordinator on Urban Meyer's two national championship-winning teams in 2006 and 2008.

Moorhead, who had coached at Fordham and led Penn State's offense for two seasons, went 8-5 in his first season at MSU in 2018. But then the early cries of "Moor Cowbell" turned into more losses. The Bulldogs went 6-7 in a distraction-laden 2019 season, one that was marred even more by a reported fight between linebacker Willie Gay and quarterback Garrett Shrader before the bowl game. Shrader ended up missing the bowl game, and Gay was one of 10 players earlier in the season who was suspended for a violation of team rules.

Leach wasn't watching the Egg Bowl when Moore's celebration penalty cost the Rebels. But he has heard plenty about it since taking the job.

"Obviously, it's a bad deal," Leach said. "A deal like that hurts your whole unit, hurts your whole team. It might be fun for you individually, but it has a negative effect on the entire group. You can't allow any of it."

Those on both sides of the Egg Bowl rivalry hope the Kiffin-Leach dynamic will help disinfect a rivalry that has seemed to grow only nastier over the years. The two coaches are friends and genuinely enjoy each other's company, going back to their days in the Pac-12 as head coaches.

"He's awesome, very different," Kiffin said of Leach. "I just like him because he says what he wants to say and doesn't do what everybody else does, which is worry about what everybody thinks."

And for the record, Kiffin says that Leach's "Twitter is way better than mine."

"We get along, which you're not allowed to do in the SEC," Kiffin said facetiously. "I've actually had others tell me people were pissed that I was being nice to [Leach]. That's the SEC, though. I'd be in SEC coaches meetings, and those guys are almost trained not to be nice to each other. ... I know it's supposed to be competitive, but sometimes it goes too far."

Leach has known Kiffin for a long time and says, "Lane is entertaining, no doubt."

That said, Leach isn't sure how much his friendship with Kiffin will douse the animosity fans of both schools have for the other side.

"It's always been kind of a nasty game, like rivalries are," Leach said. "I can't think of too many that aren't. ... I suspect it won't die down much. The venom of these rivalries starts with the fans, and as that escalates, I think there's a vibe among the two teams and then it escalates from there."

Cleveland, who also has worked as the executive director of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in addition to being one of the leading media voices for sports in that state for the past four decades, is hopeful the nastiness of the rivalry will be toned down some because of the relationship between Kiffin and Leach. But he'll also believe it when he sees it.

"Let's see if they remain buddies," Cleveland said. "It hasn't seemed to matter in the past. Things always seem to get rocky at some point, and the nastiness has never been good for either school. You're in the smallest, poorest state, and there's two of you. My point is that it's hard enough to compete in the SEC West without batting each other over the head all of the time."

Either way, the Egg Bowl is sure to remain plenty lively, and that goes for the football field and the Twittersphere.

LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer has reached an agreement to purchase The Forum in Inglewood, through a new company, for $400 million in cash from The Madison Square Garden Company, it was announced.

The Forum will continue to operate as a premier live-music venue while "resolving litigation surrounding plans for the new NBA arena" for Ballmer's Clippers.

"This is an unprecedented time, but we believe in our collective future," Ballmer said in a statement. "We are committed to our investment in the City of Inglewood, which will be good for the community, the Clippers, and our fans."

According to a news release, the acquisition of The Forum was driven by Ballmer and Clippers vice chairman Dennis Wong through the newly-formed CAPSS LLC.

SEVENTY-TWO HOURS before the NBA shuttered its practice facilities to players, Denver Nuggets president of basketball operations Tim Connelly decided to streamline rounds of telephone conversations and text messages with his front office peers into a conference call. Most executives were working out of their homes, crisis managers on the front line for families and franchises.

Eleven executives were on the call, including the Golden State Warriors' Bob Myers, who received word of a San Francisco shelter in place order moments before dialing in. Commissioner Adam Silver had been talking with the board of governors, discussing the health and financial implications of a long NBA hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic -- including the possibility of enforcing the force majeure provision in the collective bargaining agreement, which would allow owners to withhold players' salaries for canceled games.

The league's top basketball executives found themselves in an unfamiliar crisis yet still working amid a familiar middle ground between the owners and players and between the league's establishment of guidelines and front offices' execution of them within organizations.

As games stopped and a restless country moved closer to the full wrath of the coronavirus pandemic, silos of executives with contenders and non-contenders, big market and small market, huddled close together.

"There's an overwhelming sense of fraternity," Connelly told ESPN. "It isn't about competition right now but what's best for the NBA."

Front offices pooled details on team quarantines, player and staff coronavirus testing, facility protocols and consultations with infectious disease specialists. Team executives had been studying the data the NBA had shared on the virus' outbreak in Asia and Europe, talking to its doctors and experts, and were bracing for its impact several weeks before the White House acknowledged its threat to the American public.

In a world spinning with unknowns, this has been a test rooted in the most basic responsibility attached to the GM's job: How do we best protect, prepare and manage the finest basketball players in the world? Between now and the resumption of play, organizations are facing the most pressing crisis in the sport's history.

"We are seeking answers that no one knows," said Myers, the Warriors' president of basketball operations. "In a lot of ways, it's simply, 'What's the least worst thing to do?' It's hard to find the best thing, but it isn't stopping us all from trying."

Asked what his message was to players on their way into this hiatus, Myers told ESPN: "Follow the rules. Be a person. Be a civilian. Be a member of the community. Take care of your families. Prioritize that. We will get to basketball later."

MORE: When will the NBA return? Latest updates amid coronavirus suspension

ONCE THE LEAGUE office delivered news that practice facilities were shut down and players began exiting team cities, the job of running organizations became further complicated.

Front office executives want the league to provide tentative contingencies on a return to play this season, but league officials have been reticent to share those estimates with teams.

The loosest of drop-dead dates on completing the NBA Finals is Labor Day weekend in early September, sources say, which teams say necessitates games starting back up by July 1 -- and practice facilities reopening weeks before that.

No one in the NBA wants to be tied to Labor Day weekend, because no one -- not the commissioner, not the teams, not the NBPA -- wants to limit the possibility of the NBA salvaging something of a season. If the NBA season could start later in July and finish later in September, well, no one is ruling out that idea either.

Between now and then, organizations are teeming with priorities -- keeping players physically and mentally fit, preparing for a draft that will likely not allow teams access to prospects and uncertainty on free-agency timetables and a shrinking salary cap. The Philadelphia 76ers ownership started what would have made them the first of several teams to cut salaries, but the 76ers have since made plans to change course. Other NBA owners are now weighing the public relations fallout versus the desire to reduce salaries.

For now, front offices are working in isolation, on conference and video calls throughout the mornings and afternoons. Last week, some teams didn't want practice facilities reopened during this volatile coronavirus climate; some didn't want them closed.

Several teams closed practice facilities as soon as Utah Jazz All-Star Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus on March 11, which prompted the NBA to suspend the season within minutes.

"Our decision was simply based on looking at the enormity of what was coming," Wizards GM Tommy Sheppard told ESPN. "We were three weeks behind most countries, and the data told us what was ahead. We were going to be conservative with our players and staff."

Many teams kept facilities open and assistant coaches available to players for daily 30-minute on-court workouts. Players were able to work with strength coaches too. Almost immediately, this was a decision some teams and the league office began to second-guess. In different circumstances, a sanitized, controlled environment -- which included team chefs preparing meals -- makes sense for players.

Nevertheless, the NBA felt compelled to honor the recommendations of the CDC and infectious disease specialists and treat the NBA like every other industry: doors shut, employees out.

The league is making case-by-case exceptions for team medical staff to attend to rehabilitating players. Some players need team facilities to rehab injuries; some need team trainers to travel to them to provide therapy.

Some executives and coaches believed that players are conditioned to find gyms to stay in shape, so why not under the supervision of the team? Perhaps, but teams are left to trust players to stay isolated the way the rest of America and parts of Europe and Asia have been asked to do. As one owner told ESPN, "Of course, it would make all the sense to have our players in the facilities, but if someone were to get sick there, the league and the team would get hammered. The league has no choice right now."

One Western Conference GM told ESPN that his team made coming to the facility to work with players voluntary for assistant coaches, but he felt queasy that some staffers would interpret voluntary as mandatory -- and also worried that the practice went against every prescribed protocol of isolation. One head coach told an assistant that he wouldn't allow him into player workouts so he could protect the assistant's pregnant wife from the possibility of infection.

Across several days of work with players, a coach participating in the one-on-one workouts was one of several assistants who told ESPN that they found themselves increasingly uneasy with that contact amid the coronavirus pandemic. In the end, the league let those workouts occur for only a week.

"It was mind-boggling," one assistant coach told ESPN. "We were talking about social distancing in a room with 30 people. Then we were working out four or five different guys, catching the ball, rebounding and passing it back to them, for 30 minutes. We were disinfecting the ball and doing it again. It seemed like such an unnecessary risk for such a non-reward. We are seeing players like Donovan Mitchell testing positive but showing no symptoms -- so you don't have any idea if the guys you're working out have been infected. All downside, no upside. All I'm thinking is, 'How are we going to gain a competitive advantage doing this for 30 minutes a day?'"

Several executives made the point, too, that it was easier for draft-lottery-bound teams to shut down and think less about an eventual return this season than those organizations that remained in pursuit of the playoffs.

Rockets star James Harden was shooting on the Rockets' practice court with assistant coach John Lucas on Thursday afternoon when news reached them that the NBA had ordered the close of facilities. Keith Jones, the Rockets' executive VP of basketball operations and a longtime athletic trainer, walked into the gym to inform Harden and Lucas.

"James just had this look on his face like, 'What do we do?'" Jones told ESPN.

Like several teams, the Rockets emailed each player a detailed customized program to follow -- strength training, flexibility training, cardio. The Rockets had an app created in-house for offseason use, but that is being implemented now. It includes video demonstrations of the exercises. As they do every offseason, the Rockets gave each player a duffel bag full of resistance bands, pulleys and an exercise ball for their workouts.

"We're trying to monitor and make sure they do the most they can with what they have," Jones told ESPN. "The tough part is what you don't know. You don't know how long the runway is going to be before you're at full speed. A process that took 10 weeks [at the end of the offseason to ramp up to the regular season] might be compressed into 10 days.

"Getting their bodies conditioned to play again, we're going to need some time. Nothing mimics NBA basketball except NBA basketball. Everybody's going to lose that conditioning."

Each morning, Rockets players are required to take their temperatures when they wake up and text a photo to Jones and Jason Biles, the athletic trainer. Biles calls each player daily to check on his health and that of his family members.

"It's harder than the hurricane and harder than the lockout," Jones said. "You have no way of getting out and seeing guys. And if this was a lockout, you'd have 10 or 12 NBA guys getting together and playing and doing their skill work. Now you can't do that."

The Woj Pod: A coach's life in isolation in Italy

AS PLAYERS DISPERSE from their markets, free to travel throughout the United States and Canada, teams' concerns are going beyond physical conditioning. They're also making sure players' mental health is managed.

Since Gersson Rosas was hired as the Minnesota Timberwolves' president of basketball operations in May, only two players remain unchanged on the roster. He's still getting to know his team, and the hiatus and distance away from players doesn't make monitoring their needs easier.

"During a very tumultuous time, we want to create a safe space for our players by providing the most personalized support possible, whether they're in Minneapolis or out of market," Rosas told ESPN. "This is not just about basketball. This is about life and what we can do to keep guys motivated and engaged through a difficult time for us all."

"Getting their bodies conditioned to play again, we're going to need some time. Nothing mimics NBA basketball except NBA basketball. Everybody's going to lose that conditioning."

Rockets executive VP of basketball operations Keith Jones

For teams, letting players leave their markets felt inevitable. The NBPA had pushed hard for player movement during the hiatus, and the league never believed it could do anything but recommend players stay close to their respective organizations. Many players' families live outside of the markets they play in, and the possibility of three months apart before restarting -- or the possibility of a canceled season -- was a non-starter. The NBA has set up testing and treatment protocols in cities where NBA players live, including one non-NBA city: Las Vegas, a league source said.

Each team has a hiatus coordinator. Many are high-ranking officials on the business side, and the responsibility is largely to funnel the reams of information between the league office and the team.

In the end, these are still basketball organizations. The front offices and coaching staffs will be responsible for shepherding the players through a season restart -- or be left with a lost season and an uncertain summer regarding the NBA draft and free agency.

"The messaging consistently comes from us, whether it is something minor like a change in the dress code or critical like a change in the policy on the current health crisis," Portland Trail Blazers president of basketball operations Neil Olshey told ESPN. "We're not responsible only for conveying the messaging but also the execution and oversight.

"This is a fluid situation, and we know the shoe could drop on any of us with the next call or update from our medical staffs. As such, we need to rely on each other for guidance on handling issues on a team level, be it a quarantine, which some teams are dealing with, or best practices as it pertains to ongoing rehab and conditioning efforts.

"There have to be open lines of communication and trust among our colleagues that while this is something bigger than basketball, understanding still that this is our industry and we want to protect it as best we can."

ESPN's Tim MacMahon, Tim Bontemps and Bobby Marks contributed to this story.

New York Mets right-hander Noah Syndergaard has a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow and will undergo Tommy John surgery this week, the team announced Tuesday.

Dr. David Altchek will perform the surgery Thursday at the Hospital for Special Surgery, according to the Mets.

"After experiencing discomfort in his elbow before spring training was suspended due to the pandemic, Noah and our health and performance department have been in constant contact," Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said in a statement. "Based on the persistence of his symptoms, Noah underwent a physical examination and MRI that revealed the ligament tear. A second opinion from Dr. Neal ElAttrache confirmed the diagnosis and the recommendation for surgery.

"Noah is an incredibly hard worker and a tremendous talent. While this is unfortunate, we have no doubt that Noah will be able to return to full strength and continue to be an integral part of our championship pursuits in the future."

Syndergaard, 27, who is one of the hardest-throwing starting pitchers in baseball history and has among the best arsenal of pitches in the game, was expected to anchor the Mets' rotation alongside ace Jacob deGrom.

Syndergaard threw a career-high 197⅔ innings last season, and while his ERA was a career-worst 4.28, the combination of good health and stuff foretold good things.

The health end did not hold up, and Syndergaard will be sidelined until April 2021 at the earliest -- and more likely until the early summer. He is the second high-profile pitcher to need Tommy John surgery in recent days, with Boston Red Sox ace Chris Sale also confirming he would undergo the elbow reconstruction surgery.

Syndergaard, acquired by the Mets in 2012 when they traded Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey to Toronto, was an instant phenom. His fastball consistently hit 100 mph, he ripped off sliders as fast as 93 mph, and he struck out 166 batters in 150 innings as a 22-year-old rookie in 2015. His best year came in 2016, when he was an All-Star and posted a 2.60 ERA in 183⅔ innings.

Injuries wiped out most of Syndergaard's 2017 season and shortened his 2018. He planned to join deGrom and Marcus Stroman atop the Mets' rotation, with Steven Matz, Rick Porcello and Michael Wacha filling out the last two spots.

With baseball sidelined until at least May because of the coronavirus outbreak, the Mets now won't have to choose among the final three for a rotation spot. Their prospects for 2020, which were bright during a strong spring, got that much more difficult in a National League East with the defending World Series champion Washington Nationals, defending division winner Atlanta Braves and a Philadelphia Phillies team with playoff aspirations.

Steve Smythe, who has run more than 2000 races, shares his training suggestions for solo sessions and contemplates current life with no racing

The current coronavirus situation is unprecedented for runners and while British people are currently allowed to exercise outdoors once a day, that may change. For now it is agreed that allowing that flexibility, and staying fit and healthy, is essential for both body and mind. Enjoy it while it lasts.

What you do now might be governed by where you live – a remote Highlands base is better than a crowded city and it may help if you have access to a treadmill but it is still possible to adapt under the current guidelines as this is written, as daily exercise is seen as vital.

Remember to stay at least two metres away from other people and wash your hands as soon as you get home!

New targets

It is usually imperative for a runner to have some sort of short or long term target but there is no guarantee of even the autumn events happening because of the seriousness of the coronavirus.

Virtual solo races may act as a stimulus for some or it could just be attacking local Strava segments but things have changed drastically from a few months ago.

For those who have built up exceptional levels of fitness with the aim of a big spring target, there will be a slight frustration at the lost opportunity but a realisation that there are more important things than PBs.

Obviously, health should take precedence but it is possible to hold fitness levels to a good level so you can be ready to step up training again when normality returns to the racing calendar.

In the short term there is no point thrashing the body through more heavy mileage and rest is an essential part of any schedule. The more tired you are, the more susceptible you will be to viruses and continuing to train flat out after already training hard through January and February will leave the body vulnerable to illness and injury and more chance all the good work through late winter will go to waste.

If you have trained for a marathon and have not run it, then you are in a fortunate position of being marathon fit without being exhausted by the race itself and requiring a good month or two to recover and recharge the batteries.

There is also the mental side of motivation when there is no immediate target. Surely it is better to ease off the accelerator, work on other aspects of your running fitness and when the calendar is clearer, and the virus defeated, then you can up the training rather than be physically and mentally shattered.

There is a reason why most marathon schedules are 12 to 16 weeks. Training harder for longer does not mean you get fitter, just more tired and often slower!

If you can, the best thing is to get into a routine – more difficult when there is no weekly track or club session, weekend parkrun or race. Decide how many days a week you want to run and stick to it.

There will be fewer distractions than previously but just because you are home and with less alternatives do not think this is the opportunity to run 100-mile weeks if you are not used to it.

If need be, you could just go into maintenance mileage – half of what you were doing in the marathon but with more rest days and no very long runs but it is probably better to have a more organised routine with a wide range of runs. It could also be an opportunity to work on weaknesses such as basic speed or hill climbing ability that a full day of work and commuting may not have allowed.

Training suggestions

If you are going to follow a routine this could still be based on most marathon schedules but with less volume and intensity.

Monday: easy run or rest
Tuesday: intervals for speed endurance
Wednesday: medium recovery run
Thursday: tempo
Friday: strides, sprints or rest
Saturday: fast 5km
Sunday: long steady run

In terms of sessions, you might just be happy to run at a fast, steady pace but I know some like a more challenging element to it.

Specific sessions

Here are 12 sessions you can do on your own (it does not have to be measured but probably more satisfying if it is).

1. 5km made up of 8 x 400m with 200m float, with an extra fast 200m at the end, or 10 x 400m with 100m float.

The 8 x 400m session was the only track session that former Commonwealth marathon champion and world medallist Steve Moneghetti used to do. The slow sections are still run around marathon pace. Run 90 seconds hard, 30 seconds easier if there is no measured circuit or area available.

2. One mile, alternating 100m hard and 100m slightly easier (if you have access to the track, go easy on the bends, faster on the straights).

This is a session that I recall Brendan Foster doing almost 50 years ago and running a 4:06 mile in training. The two-paced element of it means as the above you get a better range of paces than doing it all at same speed. Run 20 seconds hard, 25 seconds easy if you have no access to a measured circuit or area.

3. 1000m reps made up of 50m easy, 150m hard.

This is a session I regularly recall doing myself in Olympic coach Ron Holman’s Cambridge Harrier club training group alongside top UK road runner of the 1970s and 1980s, Keith Penny.

On a track, it was the first half of the bend at a steady pace before working hard for the rest of the bend and following straight before a slight recovery.

Again, you can just hit a slightly faster pace if you get sufficient recovery, but it should be minimal recovery and if done properly, I found I could run the same pace than if I did reps all at one pace. Five reps should suffice.

Run 10 seconds easier, 25 seconds hard and repeat four more times if no access to a measured circuit or area.

4. Acceleration run. Start at an easy pace and run for half an hour and every 5 minutes pick up the pace. First 5 minutes easy, then marathon pace, then half-marathon, then 10 mile, then 10km, then 5km.

This run starts off gently but the second half of the run should be extremely hard. You could finish with a 10-minute jog to recovery.

5. Alternate two-paced 30 minute run. A minute at marathon pace followed by a minute at 10km pace and back to marathon pace. In theory as you are running less than 10km and only half of it is 10km pace. This is hard but not impossible.

6. Steady run with accelerations. Do a steady run (45 minutes) at around marathon pace but for 30 seconds every 5 minutes increase up to inside 5km pace, ease back for 30 seconds and then go back to marathon pace and repeat

This is a relatively easy session and the 30 seconds should make it harder but also break the monotony.

7. Block acceleration. 5 minutes at marathon pace, 4 minutes at half-marathon pace, 3 minutes at 10km pace, 2 minutes at 5km pace, 1 minute at mile pace, 1 minute easy then back to marathon pace.

Two blocks should be sufficient as the end of each block is considerably tough.

8. Russian steps. Run 15 seconds hard, 45 seconds easy, 30 seconds hard, 30 seconds easy, 45 seconds hard, 15 seconds easy, 60 seconds hard, 60 seconds easy, 45 seconds hard, 15 seconds easy, 30 seconds hard, 30 seconds easy, 15 seconds hard, 45 seconds easy and repeat three more times.

This is a well-known cycling session and is extremely hard at the 45 seconds hard, 15 seconds recovery, 60 seconds hard phase.

9. Hill reps. Ideally find a hill that takes a minute to go up. Run 4 x quarter hill/15 seconds to warm up then 4 x full hill with slow jog back, 4 x half hill at a faster pace, 4 x quarter hill fast. Make sure you warm up and warm down fully after the session and on the hill focus on your style and arm action.

10. Short recovery 200m reps. Do three sets of 6 with a 2-minute gap between sets. First set, start rep every minute so if you run for 40 seconds, have 20 seconds recovery. On second set, start with 30 seconds recovery, then reduce to 25, 20, 15 and 10 seconds. On the third set have a minute recovery and focus more on speed and form.

11. Start blast run. Run 30 seconds almost flat out and then straight into one minute at 5km pace and then straight into two minutes 30 seconds at marathon pace, then have a minute easy and repeat three times. This is tough and gets the body used to running quite fast while uncomfortable.

12. Speed stride accelerations. Find a straight safe grass area or track and measure out roughly 120m or aim for 20-25 second efforts. Run 8 reps starting the first at marathon pace and gradually go through the gears so that by the last one you are going significantly faster than mile pace but stay relaxed and focus on form and style.

Do jog or walk back recoveries so you feel recovered before you do the next rep.

Some of the sport’s stars share views on the news that the Olympics and Paralympics will now be in 2021

The Olympic and Paralympic Games is the pinnacle, the ultimate goal for thousands of athletes across the globe. What happens when that goal gets moved?

Going by the reaction on social media, when it is due to a matter as serious as the current coronavirus pandemic, athletes adapt, put health first and refocus.

Although not easy to deal with, many have spoken out in support of the decision to postpone the Tokyo 2020 Games until 2021, backing up recent statistics from The Athletics Association which reported that in a survey of more than 4000 athletes, 78% of respondents said the Games should be delayed.

On Sunday the International Olympic Committee said a decision on the Games would be made within the next four weeks but, facing mounting pressure, postponement was confirmed just two days later.

READ MORE: Tokyo 2020 Games postponed to 2021

“We applaud the fact that this decision has been made much sooner than the original four week deadline,” said The Athletics Association. “Everyone now has clarity and can concentrate on keeping safe. The right decision.”

Vice president Emma Coburn, the USA’s 2017 world steeplechase champion and 2016 Olympic medallist, was among those to share her thoughts on Twitter and wrote: “Our dreams aren’t cancelled, they are just postponed.

“Looking forward to dreams coming true for athletes everywhere in 2021.”

While Kenya’s world marathon record-holder and Olympic gold medallist Eliud Kipchoge said: “All in all a very wise decision to postpone the Olympics until 2021.

“I look forward to come back to Japan to defend my Olympic title next year and look forward to witness a wonderful event. I wish everybody good health in these challenging times.”

Britain’s world heptathlon champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson had been among those to share her struggle to continue training and following news of the postponement, she wrote: “Waited 8 years for this, what’s another 1 in the grand scheme of things?

“As an athlete, it’s heartbreaking news about the Olympics being postponed until 2021, but it’s for all the right reasons and the safety of everyone! Hope everyone keeps safe and stay indoors.”

Waited 8 years for this, what’s another 1 in the grand scheme of things? ???? As an athlete, it’s heartbreaking news about the olympics being postponed until 2021, but it’s for all the right reasons and the safety of everyone! Hope everyone keeps safe and stay indoors x pic.twitter.com/z0JlgV2efI

— KJT (@JohnsonThompson) March 24, 2020

READ MORE: Athletes question IOC advice on Tokyo 2020

Despite proving that she’s in the form of her life right now, with British indoor record-breaking performances in the 800m, 1500m and mile over the winter, Jemma Reekie was still able to find positives and said: “I am going to use this extra year to get faster, stronger and fitter for the Olympics.

“I will use the hunger and excitement to push myself and make every minute count.

“Stay safe, be sensible and do what we are told. This will come to a end.”

While Britain’s Sophie Hahn, who hopes to defend her T38 100m title at the Paralympics, wrote: “It must have been a very difficult decision to postpone the Tokyo Games, especially when so many people had worked so hard to make it incredible.

“It will still be incredible next year. We will make sure of that.”

Dan Greaves, who got discus gold for Britain at the 2004 Paralympics, wrote: “Absolutely the right decision to postpone both the Olympics and Paralympics by a year.

“Health comes first and with that, athletes can now take care of theirs to make sure they are able to make the hard work count!”

His fellow thrower Joe Kovacs, the USA’s two-time world shot put champion and Olympic silver medallist, said: “I want to compete against the best when they are at their best, not when they have been training under unsuitable circumstances.

“Smart decision by the IOC to postpone the Olympic Games. For now, let’s focus on reestablishing the world’s health and safety.”

Another athlete to find a positive was Britain’s five-time Paralympic gold medallist Hannah Cockroft, who wrote: “Just think, at least I’m reigning Paralympic champion for another year!”

She added: “It’s the right decision, but it doesn’t make it any less gutting.

“We put so much into being in the best shape of our lives every 4 years, to add another year on to that is tough. But we have to just use this time to get stronger and faster, so that Tokyo 2021 is the biggest and best Games ever.

“Those that use this time wisely will come out on top when the Games eventually come around. The work and the wait are worth it, keep working, stay motivated but most importantly, stay safe, so this decision isn’t in vain.”