ROME, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The Olympic Games in Tokyo were supposed to be the swansong for a handful of Italy's most decorated athletes. The global coronavirus pandemic is pushing their retirement plans back a year.

The fates of swimmer Federica Pellegrini and fencers Elisa Di Francisca and Aldo Montano -- all former Olympic gold medalists -- are just part of the ripple effect of a global pandemic that has now reached 209 countries and territories, infected around 1.5 million people, and will almost surely send the world's economy into recession.

The spread of the virus has resulted in incalculable cancellations of everything from concerts and festivals to major sporting events. But the 2020 Olympics might be the most high-profile event so-far postponed by the coronavirus outbreak.

The once-every-four-year competition was expected to be the final chapter in storied careers for Pellegrini, Di Francisca, and Montano, as well as a years-long focal point for many other elite Italian athletes. Now, they must all press the pause button and look toward 2021.

"Top athletes are already extraordinarily disciplined but suddenly postponing everything for a year will present a challenge for them to remain focused, especially for those who thought this year might be their last major campaign," Giovanni Malago, the president of Italy's National Olympic Committee, told Xinhua.

"Italian athletes face the same challenges as those in every other country," Malago said. "Everything is destabilized and athletes must adjust."

The challenges are not limited to the Olympic athletes in Italy. All levels of Italian soccer competitions have been suspended until the outbreak dissipates. The same is true with every other sport, ranging from cycling and track and field to volleyball and basketball.

Italy's biggest free-to-watch sporting event every year is the grueling three-week Giro d'Italia bike race. This year's race, the 103rd edition of the competition, was especially noteworthy because it was scheduled to hold the first three stages of the race in Hungary before switching to Italy for the remaining 18 stages that this year would have spanned the country's mountainous north and its eastern coast. The race's route changes every year, and much of it is usually lined by enthusiastic crowds that make a day out of waiting for the pack of riders to whiz by.

Now, the 3,600-kilometer (2,250-mile) race that had been scheduled to get underway May 9 has been called off with new dates still pending.

"Of all the major sports in Italy cycling might be hurt the most since teams rely almost entirely on sponsors," Silvio Mertinello, himself the holder of Olympic gold and bronze medals in cycling, said in an interview.

As for many athletes, Mertinello said the national lockdown represented a particular challenge for cyclists trying to stay fit without leaving home.

"There's only so much an athlete can do at home," he said. "A cyclist can put the bike on wheels and ride at home. That's fine when it's the alternative to going on an outdoor ride in terrible weather. But it's no way to train for an elite-level competition like the Giro d'Italia or other top races." Enditem

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