COVID-19 threatens Summer Olympics

     Due to the extensive outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19), there is serious talk about postponing the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.

     The Summer Games are scheduled from July 24 through Aug. 9. However, as the date draws near, there is talk as to whether it’s safe enough to bring athletes, coaches, trainers, and fans from all over the world together with the uncertainty of the coronavirus.

     The Olympics is an event that athletes from all over the world train for, and they train for years.

     Japan has spent over $20 billion to host the Games this summer. Postponing, or even cancelling the Olympics, would be a huge financial blow to their economy.

     Postponing the games also leaves a mental strain on the athletes who have been preparing for several years.

     Should the International Olympic Committee (IOC) agree to postpone, NBC/Comcast have said they are insured when it comes to having the rights to broadcast the Games. But the network is optimistic the Olympics will go off without a hitch.

     In the history of the Olympics, there have been a handful of Games that have been either cancelled or postponed due to worldwide events.

     The 1916 Summer Games were scheduled to be held in Berlin, Germany (the German Empire). They were cancelled due to the outbreak of World War I (July 1914 through November 1918). It was until 20 years later that Berlin finally got the chance to host the Olympics in 1936 for the Summer Games. This was the last Olympics before the start of World War II (September 1939 through September 1945).

     The 1940 Summer Olympics were scheduled from Sept. 21 through Oct. 6, 1940, in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo was the first non-Western city to win the bid to host any Olympics.

     The Games were rescheduled to July 20 through Aug. 4, 1940, but this time in Helsinki, France. They were ultimately cancelled due to the start of WWII.

     Tokyo ended up hosting the 1964 Summer Games; Helsinki the 1952 Summer Games.

     Much the same, the 1940 Winter Olympics, planned for Feb. 3-12, 1940, in Sapporo, Japan, were also cancelled because of WWII. Sapporo ended up later hosting the 1972 Winter Games.

     After Japan bowed out of hosting the 1940 Winter Games, the IOC chose to move them to St. Moritz, Switzerland, which hosted the 1928 Winter Olympics. It wasn’t the war that led to another change in venue, but the fact that Switzerland believed the ski instructors and coaches should be professionals. The IOC disagreed.

     So, the IOC moved the Games again to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. Five months later, Germany invaded Poland. This led the ultimate cancellation of the 1940 Winter Olympics.

     WWII also led to the cancellation of the 1944 Summer and Winter Olympics.

     That year, the Summer Games would have been held in London, U.K. London would later host the 1948 Summer Olympics.

     This did not stop the IOC from hosting a special event in Lausanne, Switzerland, June 17-19, 1944, to commemorate the IOC’s 50^th anniversary of its foundation. This was referred to as “The Jubilee Celebrations of IOC.”

     The 1944 Winter Games would have been held in February of that year in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. Cortina d’Ampezzo went on to host the 1956 Winter Olympics, and will co-host the 2026 Winter Olympics with Milan, Italy.

     So, while it’s not out of the question to cancel or postpone the Olympics, it is a heartbreak for so many, including hardcore fans like myself.

     Time will tell as the world reacts and (hopefully) eventually recovers from COVID-19…