With Tokyo Olympics 2020 Postponed Amid Coronavirus Crisis, Here’s a Look at Times When Summer Olympic Games Were Cancelled
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the organising body of the games, agreed to postpone the Tokyo Olympics 2020 until 2021.
The 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo have been officially postponed due to the coronavirus scare growing day by day. The postponement of 2020 Tokyo Olympics was on cards and it happened. Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the organising body of the games, agreed to postpone the Tokyo Olympics 2020 until 2021. Earlier, IOC in a statement had said that it remains fully committed to the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. However, due to the prevailing situation caused by COVID-19 virus pandemic, IOC eventually decided to postpone the Summer Olympics 2020. Tokyo Olympics 2020 Postponed to 2021 Amid COVID-19 Crisis, Confirms IOC; Summer Olympic Flame to Stay in Japan.
Major sporting events around the world have been either cancelled or postponed already. NBA, Indian Premier League 2020, La Liga, English Premier League and French Open are some of the sporting events that have been postponed amid the COVID-19. Interestingly, French Open, the Tennis Grand Slam, was scheduled to begin in late May but have been pushed back to September. At this point in time, the Tokyo Olympics 2020 have been only rescheduled. If in future it is cancelled, it will be the fourth time that the Summer Olympics will not take place. Here is a look at three occasions when the Olympic Games were cancelled. Gymnastics Test Event for Tokyo Olympics 2020 Cancelled Due to Coronavirus Outbreak.
1916 Summer Olympics: It was the sixth edition of the Olympic Games and were to take place in Berlin, Germany. The preparation for the event began in 1912 but were cancelled because of World War I or World War One, which started in 1914 and lasted till 1918.
1940 Summer Olympics: The 12th edition of the Summer Games were cancelled because of the World War II or the Second Sino-Japanese War which started around 1939. The Games were scheduled to be held in Tokyo first, but in 1938 the organisers withdrew. The Games were then awarded to Helsinki in Finland, but were cancelled.
1944 Summer Olympics: The Summer Games had to be cancelled back to back due to World War II. The 13th edition of the Games were scheduled to be held in London, England.
So, we will have to wait for a year now to witness the next edition of the Summer Olympics. Let’s hope things get better and we witness the Games next year.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 24, 2020 06:48 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).