Amid the ongoing Coronavirus outbreak, retired Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe has urged the athletes to consider their long-term health before deciding to compete at the Tokyo Olympic Games slated to be played later in the year.

"I would most definitely be concerned," The Guardian quoted Thorpe as saying on Thursday. "What we need to know is to use some of the best expert disease specialists to find out what is the risk to the team. What is the risk to the other nations and how can we have an Olympic Games, one that is safe, that doesn't put athletes at risk?