The 74-year-old has been hospitalised in Madrid in his native Spain because of the virus according to ICF, and is one of more than 65,000 confirmed cases to come out of the country.

More than 5,000 people in Spain have died as a result of contracting COVID-19 - only second in reported deaths to Italy.

Perurena also sits as the President of the International World Games Association (IWGA), which are set to host its next World Games in Birmingham in the United States next year.

The ICF is set to have a new President this year too as Perurena announced he was stepping down in the calendar year.

Perurena used to be an International Olympic Committee (IOC) member, but departed at the end of December.

He is one of many sports figures to test positive for COVID-19, joining Albertville 1992 Co-President Michel Barnier and Monaco's Prince Albert II, who competed in the Winter Olympics in bobsleigh five times and is an IOC member.

Real Madrid's former President Lorenzo Sanz became one of the thousands to die of the virus in Spain last week.

Worldwide, there have been more than 605,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, resulting in the deaths of at least 27,600 people.