A spokesperson for FIBA told insidethegames the worldwide governing body "clearly expect to face reduced cash flow this year as a result of the crisis".

The spokesperson declined to reveal the exact amount the organisation expects to lose but said the shortfall "will depend on the evolution of the pandemic, its depth and duration and its impact on our partners".

FIBA becomes the latest International Federation (IF) to publicly concede it is facing financial difficulties as a result of the COVID-19 virus, which has infected more than three million people and killed over 211,000 worldwide.

A number of IFs representing sports on the Tokyo 2020 programme are facing cashflow challenges of varying degrees of severity as a result of the expected postponement by one year of multi-million-dollar payments they would normally have expected to receive from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) soon after the completion of the Games.

FIBA is in the second tier of Federations, along with football, cycling, volleyball and tennis, and would have received the bulk of its $25.95 million (£20.77 million/€23.85 million) payout from its share of the Olympic Games revenue in September.

The IOC is holding talks with Federations around financial support after Tokyo 2020 was pushed back to 2021.

"FIBA is in regular contact with the IOC and we are in discussions with them on all matters related to the postponement of the Tokyo Olympic Games," the spokesperson said.

"The question of payment in relation to the IOC contribution is currently being discussed."

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed additional financial pressure on Federations as sport has come to a standstill and numerous events have been either postponed or cancelled, depriving them of vital income.

When asked what measures FIBA had been taking to mitigate the financial impact of the crisis on the organisation, the spokesperson said a "very small group of employees" - those who "work in functions that are directly affected by the suspension of FIBA competitions" - had been placed on partial unemployment since the beginning of this month.

"In this context, while our competitions are currently suspended, we are not only maintaining our development activities, but we are emphasising our offering through digital activities," FIBA added. 

"It is very important for us to stay close to our National Federations in the current situation."

FIBA insisted it was financially stable and had reserves to call on, but said this "depends on the timeframe of the pandemic".