In the shadow of the to-ing and fro-ing of the International Olympic Committee's decision to postpone Tokyo 2020, organisers of the European Athletics Championships say they are examining all avenues for the event.

The European Championships were scheduled to take place in Paris this August following the Olympics in July. The IOC announced last week that they would be postponing the Olympics in Tokyo to protect both fans and spectators from the risk of coronavirus.

This week, the European Athletics Executive Board have instructed organisers of the championships to consider all available options in an "immediate and detailed feasibility study".

Up until now the plans and preparations for the tournament have been severely impacted by the shutdown of non-essential activities in France.

There have been over 25,500 reported cases of coronavirus in France, with over 1,333 deaths across the country. Consequently, the French President Emmanuel Macron announced a nationwide lockdown with punishments for those who infringe imposed rules.

Following a two-day video conference of the European Athletics Executive Board, Periklis Iakovakis, chairman of the athletes' committee said athletes saw the European Championships as light at the end of the coronavirus tunnel.

"To have the light at the end of the tunnel that Paris 2020 may still go ahead is something positive in these extremely hard times.

"This has been a stressful and confusing period for athletes who have lost their structure and sense of normality.

"We join our larger communities in focusing on the health and well-being of everyone during the COVID-19 outbreak."