Carli Lloyd, Katie Ledecky and More Athletes React to Olympics Postponement

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the International Olympic Committee finally agreed on Tuesday to postpone the Olympics to Summer 2021 in Tokyo.

The IOC's decision came after the committee received mounting pressure and criticism from athletes and national governing bodies to change the date for the Summer Games.

The Olympics were set to begin July 24 with the opening ceremony. This is the first time the modern Olympics have been postponed. The Games have previously been canceled only during wartime in 1916, 1940 and 1944.

After the news was announced, many Olympic athletes took to social media to commend the IOC for its decision to postpone the Games.

"This is bigger than sports. This is bigger than an Olympics. I definitely think it's the right call," USWNT's Carli Lloyd told WPVI. "I think for the safety of everybody, it's definitely the best thing."

There was an option to push back the Olympics to the fall of 2020 but it remains uncertain when the COVID-19 virus will be under control enough to stage sporting events live with spectators. Postponing to 2021 is the safer bet.