A leading figure at the British Olympic Association has described International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach as arrogant and stubborn over its approach to the coronavirus pandemic.

The IOC announced on Sunday evening it was exploring scenarios around the Tokyo Games, including postponement, as a result of the worldwide health crisis and would make a decision within four weeks.

Callum Skinner, a 2016 Olympic cycling champion and a member of the BOA's athletes' commission, was scathing about Bach on social media on Monday morning.

"IOC president Thomas Bach's stubbornness and arrogance has spectacularly failed in this instance and he has weakened the Olympic movement," Skinner wrote on Twitter. "This isn't the first time he has put his own motives above the athletes and the movement."

Skinner's post went on to praise those national Olympic committees and international sports federations which have already expressed opposition to the Games going ahead as scheduled.

British sprinter Dina Asher-Smith said the IOC's delay created further uncertainty for competitors.

"So wait... does this mean that athletes face up to another FOUR weeks of finding ways to fit in training - whilst potentially putting ourselves, coaches, support staff and loved ones at risk just to find out they were going to be postponed anyway!!!"

UK Sport, the BOA and the British Paralympic Association will hold a conference call with chief executives and performance directors of the summer Olympic and Paralympic sports on Tuesday to discuss the impact the Covid-19 on the ability of competitors to train.

Canadian officials have said they will not send athletes to the Tokyo Olympics and have "urgently" called for the event to be postponed until 2021.

Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe told his country's parliament on Monday that a postponement would be unavoidable if the event cannot be held in a complete way because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Olympics has never been postponed or cancelled during peacetime.

Almost 13,000 people worldwide have been killed by Covid-19, according to the latest WHO figures, with cases in 187 countries, areas or territories.

The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) has told its athletes to prepare for the Games being held "in the northern summer of 2021".

Australian team chef de mission for Tokyo Ian Chesterman said in a statement: "It's clear the Games can't be held in July.

"Our athletes have been magnificent in their positive attitude to training and preparing, but the stress and uncertainty has been extremely challenging for them.

"They have also shouldered the burden of concern for their peers around the world.

"While there will still be much to work out as a result of this change, the timing will allow athletes from around the world to properly prepare with the hope the coronavirus crisis will be under control."