Takahashi’s input was very quickly countered with a dismissal by the same committee’s chief, and an apology from the man himself, but that type of uncertainty is being mirrored across the sporting world and at all levels.

If most of the discussion surrounding the coronavirus and its current and future impact on sport has centred on the likes of the Olympics, the Six Nations or the All-Ireland championships then these are events which sit at the tip of a much larger iceberg.

A Federation of Irish Sport report published late last year produced a picture of an industry that directly employs 39,500 people. That’s more than the number of primary schools teachers here. An average spend on sport of €30 per household is on a par with clothing, alcohol and footwear.

Sports tourism is worth €500m per annum to the exchequer. Sports volunteerism carries an estimated value of €1.1bn. This is a sector with an importance that traverses finance, health, crime prevention and the general social contract.

And, like every other corner of society, it is faced with the unknown.

“It is obviously up to each individual NGB and Local Sports Partnership themselves but, from our point of view, we have been forwarding on any correspondence we have been getting from the National Emergency team,” said Federation of Irish Sport CEO Mary O’Connor. “They are the experts. They are informing us as best they can about the situation.

“Sport is continuing as normal as it can but everybody is aware that this is a situation that is evolving. It is very dynamic, very fluid. It is something that will have to be navigated but it is very hard to look beyond the next 48 hours because we are awaiting developments. Everybody is realistic in that things can all change in a matter of minutes.”

This holding pattern is widespread.

Athletics Ireland are adopting a “business as usual” approach to club training and events while adhering to all HSE and Sport Ireland guidelines. The FAI met with representatives of the PFAI (players’ body) and National League Executive Committee to discuss the situation.

Thirteen members of Ireland’s elite boxing team departed on Wednesday for London where they will take part in a European Olympic qualifier tournament which gets underway at the Copper Box over the weekend and features 300 athletes from 40 different nations.

The world qualifiers are due to take place in Paris in May. We’ll see.

Basketball Ireland has advised people against booking any further trips abroad for various upcoming European Championship events given the “high possibility” of further travel restrictions around the continent.

“FIBA will ultimately decide if the various European Championships will go ahead and, as of Wednesday morning, they have only said that they are monitoring the pan-European situation,” said a statement from the national body.

“I think people forget that sport is an industry and a business and the amount of back office stuff that has to go into organising an event of any magnitude,” said O’Connor. “Some of these matches and events take a huge amount of preparation.

“Just to give one example: last weekend Gymnastics Ireland had a big event in the [National] Indoor Arena. They had 6,000 people at that. Could you imagine if that was this weekend? The headaches they would have? That is just one NGB and a lot of them are in similar situations.”

Swimming’s Irish Open is due to start on April 1 at the National Aquatic Centre and as of yet, Swim Ireland have not countenanced a ‘Plan B’. An Olympic trial event, it is one of many national swimming championships due to be held around Europe in and around the spring although Italy, naturally, have pulled the plug on theirs.