WEBVTT - Have the Olympic Games Ever Been Canceled?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of iHeart Radio. Hey brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren bogebam here. Oh. With the Olympic Games postponed until one,

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<v Speaker 1>we got to wondering have the Games ever been canceled?

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<v Speaker 1>The answer is yes. The Games scheduled to be held

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<v Speaker 1>in nineteen sixteen, nineteen forty, and nineteen forty four, all

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<v Speaker 1>years when lots of countries were embroiled in World Wars

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<v Speaker 1>one and two, were canceled due to the massive conflicts

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<v Speaker 1>being carried out. That's not a decision that the buttoned

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<v Speaker 1>up International Olympic Committee or IOC takes lightly. Even when

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<v Speaker 1>the IOC decided in ninety six to begin staggering the

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<v Speaker 1>Games so that Winter and Summer Olympics were not held

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<v Speaker 1>in the same year, but rather in two year intervals,

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<v Speaker 1>the games were never skipped. Instead, the Olympics went on

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<v Speaker 1>as scheduled in night and nine two, and a second

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<v Speaker 1>Winter Olympics was held in nineteen nine four to put

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<v Speaker 1>the international of events apart. But nineteen sixteen, nineteen forty

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<v Speaker 1>and nineteen forty four were grim years and holding the

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<v Speaker 1>Olympics ended up taking a back burner due to the

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<v Speaker 1>very dire circumstances playing out on the world stage. In

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<v Speaker 1>the first case, let's set that stage. The year was

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen fourteen and much Olympic preparation was afoot as directed

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<v Speaker 1>by the members of the IOC. The flag with its

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<v Speaker 1>iconic rings was unveiled for the first time that year,

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<v Speaker 1>along with the choice of the host city for the

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen sixteen Games. Back then, the host city didn't get

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<v Speaker 1>the seven years notice it does now. Ironically, the choice

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<v Speaker 1>was Berlin. While the IOC was busy getting ready, Austria

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<v Speaker 1>Hungary declared war on Serbia, and the Germans were quick

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<v Speaker 1>to join the battle. Although their targets were primarily Russia

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<v Speaker 1>and France, Belgium, a neutral nation, was the next target.

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<v Speaker 1>In response, Britain joined in and the Great War now

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<v Speaker 1>known as World War One, was well under way. Given

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<v Speaker 1>the state of world affairs, British members of the IOC

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<v Speaker 1>protested the fact that Berlin was still the top choice

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<v Speaker 1>for hosting the nineteen sixteen Games, and they resigned when

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<v Speaker 1>their demands for an alternative location were not met. At

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<v Speaker 1>the same time, the Germans were adamant and continued planning.

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<v Speaker 1>The Germans did issue a caveat, though only nations who

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<v Speaker 1>were on their side or neutral could participate, and several

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<v Speaker 1>US cities offered themselves as replacement sites, while other IOC

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<v Speaker 1>members said there could be no games until ninety Pierre Couberton,

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<v Speaker 1>founder of the IOC and widely recognized father of the

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<v Speaker 1>modern Olympics, had this to say on the matter. The

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<v Speaker 1>IOC could not withdraw the games without consulting the designated city,

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<v Speaker 1>which presumably would have to give its consent. At the time,

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<v Speaker 1>Kuberton noted that it was possible that these particular games

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<v Speaker 1>would not occur as the war trudged on. Kuber CON's

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<v Speaker 1>prediction proved accurate. The nineteen sixteen games were not held.

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<v Speaker 1>It was, after all, the war to end all wars.

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<v Speaker 1>The stadium stood silent. Fast forward a few decades, and

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<v Speaker 1>Germany finally got the chance to hold the Games in

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<v Speaker 1>Berlin in nineteen thirty six, although those games went down

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<v Speaker 1>in history as the ones that then German Chancellor Adolf

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<v Speaker 1>Hitler used to showcase Nazi propaganda. Meanwhile, the IOC declared

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<v Speaker 1>an Asian nation as the future site of an Olympics

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<v Speaker 1>in nineteen forty. Japan was slated to become the first

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<v Speaker 1>country in Asia to host the games. Rumor has it

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<v Speaker 1>that Tokyo won the role of host city because of

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<v Speaker 1>a bit of skullduggery. One of Japan's IOC members, Michimas Sosayeshima,

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<v Speaker 1>reportedly met with Benito Mussolini and promised him the Japanese

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<v Speaker 1>contingents backing for the nineteen forty four Games to be

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<v Speaker 1>held in Rome if he would weigh in on Japan's

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<v Speaker 1>bid for nineteen forty He may have tampered with the

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<v Speaker 1>opinions of other members too. Of all, this effort was

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<v Speaker 1>for not, as the nineteen forty four Games never happened either.

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<v Speaker 1>Here's how it went down again. The IOC refused the

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<v Speaker 1>idea of moving the nineteen forty Games, which became a

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<v Speaker 1>matter of exacerbated controversy when Japan invaded China. Eventually, though

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<v Speaker 1>it became apparent that the Games would not go forward,

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<v Speaker 1>Martial law at that point ruled Japan and decreed that

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<v Speaker 1>the Games were not going to happen, and World War

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<v Speaker 1>Two was still raging in nineteen forty four, causing the

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<v Speaker 1>cancelation of the nineteen forty four Games. The Olympics would

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<v Speaker 1>not again see the world stage until nineteen forty eight,

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<v Speaker 1>when they took place in London. However, although official Olympics

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<v Speaker 1>didn't occur in nineteen forty or nineteen forty four, they

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<v Speaker 1>didn't go completely unheralded. Prisoners of war in a few

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<v Speaker 1>European camps held covert Olympiads. Only a handful of relics

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<v Speaker 1>survived from these clandestine games, including a flag small and

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<v Speaker 1>drawn on a Polish prisoner's shirt in crayon. In nineteen

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<v Speaker 1>forty four. The flag of those surreptitious games was made

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<v Speaker 1>of a bedsheet and scarves. The Olympic oath for these

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<v Speaker 1>games began in the name of all the sportsmen whose

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<v Speaker 1>stadiums are fenced with barbed wire. After World War Two,

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<v Speaker 1>all Summer Olympic Games took place as scheduled until the

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<v Speaker 1>twenty Tokyo Summer Olympics. The IOC president announced in March

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<v Speaker 1>of twenty that, due to the COVID nineteen pandemic, the

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<v Speaker 1>games quote must be rescheduled to a date beyond twenty

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<v Speaker 1>but not later than summer one, to safeguard the health

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<v Speaker 1>of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games, and

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<v Speaker 1>the international community. As of this writing, the Tokyo Games

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<v Speaker 1>are still scheduled to take place July twenty three through

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<v Speaker 1>August eighty one under strict guidelines to ensure the safety

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<v Speaker 1>of athletes and attendees. Interestingly, the games are still referred

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<v Speaker 1>to as the twenty Olympics even though they're being held

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<v Speaker 1>in one. Billions of dollars from TV rights and merchandizing

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<v Speaker 1>are at stake, so an outright cancelation is unlikely. However,

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<v Speaker 1>the only spectators allowed will be those who live within

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<v Speaker 1>Japan's borders. The Japanese government has barred overseas visitors from

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<v Speaker 1>entering the country, and one a pole showed of Japanese

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<v Speaker 1>residents still think the games should be canceled or further postponed.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's episode is based on the article are the Olympics

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<v Speaker 1>ever canceled? On how stuff works dot com written by

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<v Speaker 1>Jessica Tuthman. Brain Stuff is production of I Heart Radio

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<v Speaker 1>in partnership with how stuff works dot Com and is

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<v Speaker 1>produced by Tyler Klang. Four more podcasts from my heart Radio.

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