The NOC's in Guinea and Liberia have recently launched projects to help awareness of the illness among the populations across both nations, using the reach and influence of the sports community.

Liberia's National Olympic Committee (LNOC) is training 100 ambassadors from the sporting world throughout the countries 15 regions, with the aim being to continue to educate people on the importance of the preventative measures taken by the Government, and they will also distribute health equipment across the communities.

As well as this, they are also spreading the message through television and radio, a campaign which is supported by Olympic Solidarity.

Guinea meanwhile are also tackling the problem by training educators who will divulge important information to athletes, coaches and sports administrators, and, like Liberia, they will provide health kits to the sports and cultural organisations across the nation.

Roughly 8,300 people have lost their lives as a result of the disease.

Olympic-themed messages are being used to try to help prevent the spread of Ebola ©WHO

"The projects we have chosen were convincing in terms of their reach and widespread involvement of the whole sports community, and in particular the athletes," IOC President Thomas Bach said.

"Whatever their sporting achievements, athletes are role models through their performances and determination to give their best.

"It is even more encouraging to see once again that their human qualities are equal to their sporting talent: by taking part in these awareness-raising programmes on the ground, they are making a valuable contribution to the fight against this pandemic."

Back in November of last year, Bach met with National Olympic Committee of Sierra Leone (NOCSL) President Patrick Coker and praised the country for their efforts in tackling the disease after they set up a British-run treatment centre in the capital of Freetown.

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