Factbox - Reaction to postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics

Mar 24, 2020; Tokyo, Japan; People take photos with the Olympic rings monument in front on National Stadium. On Monday the IOC announced that the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics Games would be postponed due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Mandatory Credit: Yukihito Taguchi-USA TODAY Sports

(Reuters) - Athletes, national associations and sporting federations worldwide reacted with sadness, relief and mainly goodwill to the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on Tuesday because of the coronavirus pandemic.

After weeks of speculation and mounting criticism at the delay in announcing a postponement, Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach agreed the event would be rescheduled for the summer of 2021 at the latest.