1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:06,960 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of iHeart Radio. Hey brain Stuff, 2 00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:13,240 Speaker 1: Lauren bogebam here. Oh. With the Olympic Games postponed until one, 3 00:00:13,760 --> 00:00:17,279 Speaker 1: we got to wondering have the Games ever been canceled? 4 00:00:17,840 --> 00:00:21,120 Speaker 1: The answer is yes. The Games scheduled to be held 5 00:00:21,160 --> 00:00:25,400 Speaker 1: in nineteen sixteen, nineteen forty, and nineteen forty four, all 6 00:00:25,520 --> 00:00:28,680 Speaker 1: years when lots of countries were embroiled in World Wars 7 00:00:28,720 --> 00:00:32,479 Speaker 1: one and two, were canceled due to the massive conflicts 8 00:00:32,520 --> 00:00:35,920 Speaker 1: being carried out. That's not a decision that the buttoned 9 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:40,720 Speaker 1: up International Olympic Committee or IOC takes lightly. Even when 10 00:00:40,720 --> 00:00:44,159 Speaker 1: the IOC decided in ninety six to begin staggering the 11 00:00:44,200 --> 00:00:46,960 Speaker 1: Games so that Winter and Summer Olympics were not held 12 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:49,640 Speaker 1: in the same year, but rather in two year intervals, 13 00:00:49,720 --> 00:00:53,000 Speaker 1: the games were never skipped. Instead, the Olympics went on 14 00:00:53,040 --> 00:00:56,680 Speaker 1: as scheduled in night and nine two, and a second 15 00:00:56,720 --> 00:00:59,240 Speaker 1: Winter Olympics was held in nineteen nine four to put 16 00:00:59,280 --> 00:01:04,440 Speaker 1: the international of events apart. But nineteen sixteen, nineteen forty 17 00:01:04,600 --> 00:01:08,200 Speaker 1: and nineteen forty four were grim years and holding the 18 00:01:08,240 --> 00:01:10,840 Speaker 1: Olympics ended up taking a back burner due to the 19 00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:15,840 Speaker 1: very dire circumstances playing out on the world stage. In 20 00:01:15,920 --> 00:01:19,280 Speaker 1: the first case, let's set that stage. The year was 21 00:01:19,400 --> 00:01:23,640 Speaker 1: nineteen fourteen and much Olympic preparation was afoot as directed 22 00:01:23,640 --> 00:01:26,680 Speaker 1: by the members of the IOC. The flag with its 23 00:01:26,840 --> 00:01:29,720 Speaker 1: iconic rings was unveiled for the first time that year, 24 00:01:30,080 --> 00:01:32,200 Speaker 1: along with the choice of the host city for the 25 00:01:32,280 --> 00:01:35,760 Speaker 1: nineteen sixteen Games. Back then, the host city didn't get 26 00:01:35,760 --> 00:01:39,840 Speaker 1: the seven years notice it does now. Ironically, the choice 27 00:01:39,880 --> 00:01:44,560 Speaker 1: was Berlin. While the IOC was busy getting ready, Austria 28 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:48,480 Speaker 1: Hungary declared war on Serbia, and the Germans were quick 29 00:01:48,520 --> 00:01:51,960 Speaker 1: to join the battle. Although their targets were primarily Russia 30 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:55,880 Speaker 1: and France, Belgium, a neutral nation, was the next target. 31 00:01:56,280 --> 00:01:59,480 Speaker 1: In response, Britain joined in and the Great War now 32 00:01:59,520 --> 00:02:03,960 Speaker 1: known as World War One, was well under way. Given 33 00:02:04,000 --> 00:02:06,960 Speaker 1: the state of world affairs, British members of the IOC 34 00:02:07,240 --> 00:02:10,200 Speaker 1: protested the fact that Berlin was still the top choice 35 00:02:10,240 --> 00:02:13,600 Speaker 1: for hosting the nineteen sixteen Games, and they resigned when 36 00:02:13,639 --> 00:02:17,160 Speaker 1: their demands for an alternative location were not met. At 37 00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:20,480 Speaker 1: the same time, the Germans were adamant and continued planning. 38 00:02:21,120 --> 00:02:24,959 Speaker 1: The Germans did issue a caveat, though only nations who 39 00:02:24,960 --> 00:02:28,920 Speaker 1: were on their side or neutral could participate, and several 40 00:02:29,040 --> 00:02:32,640 Speaker 1: US cities offered themselves as replacement sites, while other IOC 41 00:02:32,800 --> 00:02:37,960 Speaker 1: members said there could be no games until ninety Pierre Couberton, 42 00:02:38,240 --> 00:02:41,440 Speaker 1: founder of the IOC and widely recognized father of the 43 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:44,880 Speaker 1: modern Olympics, had this to say on the matter. The 44 00:02:44,960 --> 00:02:49,160 Speaker 1: IOC could not withdraw the games without consulting the designated city, 45 00:02:49,440 --> 00:02:52,960 Speaker 1: which presumably would have to give its consent. At the time, 46 00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:56,200 Speaker 1: Kuberton noted that it was possible that these particular games 47 00:02:56,240 --> 00:03:00,320 Speaker 1: would not occur as the war trudged on. Kuber CON's 48 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:04,200 Speaker 1: prediction proved accurate. The nineteen sixteen games were not held. 49 00:03:04,680 --> 00:03:07,400 Speaker 1: It was, after all, the war to end all wars. 50 00:03:07,840 --> 00:03:12,240 Speaker 1: The stadium stood silent. Fast forward a few decades, and 51 00:03:12,400 --> 00:03:14,680 Speaker 1: Germany finally got the chance to hold the Games in 52 00:03:14,720 --> 00:03:18,160 Speaker 1: Berlin in nineteen thirty six, although those games went down 53 00:03:18,160 --> 00:03:21,560 Speaker 1: in history as the ones that then German Chancellor Adolf 54 00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:26,640 Speaker 1: Hitler used to showcase Nazi propaganda. Meanwhile, the IOC declared 55 00:03:26,680 --> 00:03:29,320 Speaker 1: an Asian nation as the future site of an Olympics 56 00:03:29,720 --> 00:03:32,639 Speaker 1: in nineteen forty. Japan was slated to become the first 57 00:03:32,680 --> 00:03:37,160 Speaker 1: country in Asia to host the games. Rumor has it 58 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:39,920 Speaker 1: that Tokyo won the role of host city because of 59 00:03:39,920 --> 00:03:45,000 Speaker 1: a bit of skullduggery. One of Japan's IOC members, Michimas Sosayeshima, 60 00:03:45,080 --> 00:03:48,960 Speaker 1: reportedly met with Benito Mussolini and promised him the Japanese 61 00:03:48,960 --> 00:03:51,720 Speaker 1: contingents backing for the nineteen forty four Games to be 62 00:03:51,760 --> 00:03:54,440 Speaker 1: held in Rome if he would weigh in on Japan's 63 00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:57,600 Speaker 1: bid for nineteen forty He may have tampered with the 64 00:03:57,640 --> 00:04:01,160 Speaker 1: opinions of other members too. Of all, this effort was 65 00:04:01,240 --> 00:04:04,480 Speaker 1: for not, as the nineteen forty four Games never happened either. 66 00:04:05,720 --> 00:04:09,360 Speaker 1: Here's how it went down again. The IOC refused the 67 00:04:09,400 --> 00:04:12,480 Speaker 1: idea of moving the nineteen forty Games, which became a 68 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:17,760 Speaker 1: matter of exacerbated controversy when Japan invaded China. Eventually, though 69 00:04:17,760 --> 00:04:20,320 Speaker 1: it became apparent that the Games would not go forward, 70 00:04:20,880 --> 00:04:24,200 Speaker 1: Martial law at that point ruled Japan and decreed that 71 00:04:24,240 --> 00:04:27,280 Speaker 1: the Games were not going to happen, and World War 72 00:04:27,320 --> 00:04:30,080 Speaker 1: Two was still raging in nineteen forty four, causing the 73 00:04:30,080 --> 00:04:33,400 Speaker 1: cancelation of the nineteen forty four Games. The Olympics would 74 00:04:33,440 --> 00:04:35,920 Speaker 1: not again see the world stage until nineteen forty eight, 75 00:04:35,960 --> 00:04:40,919 Speaker 1: when they took place in London. However, although official Olympics 76 00:04:40,960 --> 00:04:44,400 Speaker 1: didn't occur in nineteen forty or nineteen forty four, they 77 00:04:44,440 --> 00:04:48,360 Speaker 1: didn't go completely unheralded. Prisoners of war in a few 78 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:53,039 Speaker 1: European camps held covert Olympiads. Only a handful of relics 79 00:04:53,080 --> 00:04:57,320 Speaker 1: survived from these clandestine games, including a flag small and 80 00:04:57,400 --> 00:05:01,400 Speaker 1: drawn on a Polish prisoner's shirt in crayon. In nineteen 81 00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:04,880 Speaker 1: forty four. The flag of those surreptitious games was made 82 00:05:04,880 --> 00:05:08,200 Speaker 1: of a bedsheet and scarves. The Olympic oath for these 83 00:05:08,240 --> 00:05:11,360 Speaker 1: games began in the name of all the sportsmen whose 84 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:16,080 Speaker 1: stadiums are fenced with barbed wire. After World War Two, 85 00:05:16,320 --> 00:05:19,720 Speaker 1: all Summer Olympic Games took place as scheduled until the 86 00:05:19,800 --> 00:05:24,200 Speaker 1: twenty Tokyo Summer Olympics. The IOC president announced in March 87 00:05:24,240 --> 00:05:27,479 Speaker 1: of twenty that, due to the COVID nineteen pandemic, the 88 00:05:27,520 --> 00:05:31,440 Speaker 1: games quote must be rescheduled to a date beyond twenty 89 00:05:31,720 --> 00:05:35,080 Speaker 1: but not later than summer one, to safeguard the health 90 00:05:35,120 --> 00:05:37,880 Speaker 1: of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games, and 91 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:42,520 Speaker 1: the international community. As of this writing, the Tokyo Games 92 00:05:42,560 --> 00:05:45,000 Speaker 1: are still scheduled to take place July twenty three through 93 00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:48,960 Speaker 1: August eighty one under strict guidelines to ensure the safety 94 00:05:48,960 --> 00:05:53,160 Speaker 1: of athletes and attendees. Interestingly, the games are still referred 95 00:05:53,160 --> 00:05:55,960 Speaker 1: to as the twenty Olympics even though they're being held 96 00:05:56,000 --> 00:06:01,040 Speaker 1: in one. Billions of dollars from TV rights and merchandizing 97 00:06:01,040 --> 00:06:05,200 Speaker 1: are at stake, so an outright cancelation is unlikely. However, 98 00:06:05,360 --> 00:06:07,800 Speaker 1: the only spectators allowed will be those who live within 99 00:06:07,880 --> 00:06:12,040 Speaker 1: Japan's borders. The Japanese government has barred overseas visitors from 100 00:06:12,160 --> 00:06:18,080 Speaker 1: entering the country, and one a pole showed of Japanese 101 00:06:18,080 --> 00:06:21,839 Speaker 1: residents still think the games should be canceled or further postponed. 102 00:06:27,200 --> 00:06:29,640 Speaker 1: Today's episode is based on the article are the Olympics 103 00:06:29,720 --> 00:06:32,200 Speaker 1: ever canceled? On how stuff works dot com written by 104 00:06:32,240 --> 00:06:35,040 Speaker 1: Jessica Tuthman. Brain Stuff is production of I Heart Radio 105 00:06:35,120 --> 00:06:37,200 Speaker 1: in partnership with how stuff works dot Com and is 106 00:06:37,200 --> 00:06:40,479 Speaker 1: produced by Tyler Klang. Four more podcasts from my heart Radio. 107 00:06:40,720 --> 00:06:43,360 Speaker 1: Visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 108 00:06:43,400 --> 00:06:44,760 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.