The Summer Olympics is the biggestsporting eventin the world , typically bringing more than10,000 athletesfrom dozens of countries together every four years . But the most recent looping of the Summer Games was famed for another reason .
The 2020 SummerOlympicsin Tokyo were formally postponed due to thecoronaviruspandemic . The International Olympic Committee ( IOC ) and then - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan agreed to push the first engagement back to 2021 after Canada , Australia , and other nation announced they would not send athlete to the contender . The upshot — still known as the 2020 Games — eventually take place in July and August 2021 .
It ’s extremely rare for the Summer or Winter Olympics to be postponed or canceled . Since 1896 , when themodern Olympic Gamesbegan , it has happened only six times — and it usually requires a war .
Event
Location
Canceled or Postponed
Reason
1916 Summer Olympics
Berlin , Germany
scrub
World War I
1940 Winter Olympics
Garmisch - Partenkirchen , Germany
World War II
1940 Summer Olympics
Tokyo , Japan , then Helsinki , Finland
Postponed , then canceled
1944 Winter Olympics
Cortina d’Ampezzo , Italy
1944 Summer Olympics
London , UK
2020 Summer Olympics
Tokyo , Japan
Postponed to 2021
Coronavirus pandemic
The Olympic Games were canceled in Europe and Japan due toWorld War IandWorld War II . The 1940 Summer Games , schedule to take place in Tokyo , were shelve due to warfare and actuate to Helsinki , Finland , where they were subsequently canceled all in all . The coronavirus pandemic marked the first time the competition has ever been temporarily postponed for a reasonotherthan state of war .
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A edition of this floor was published in 2020 ; it has been update for 2024 .
