Olympic Trivia: Three strikes in 1940

Since the opening of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, the international sports competition has only been canceled three times: once during World War I (1916) and twice during World War II (1940, 1944).

Until the COVID-19 outbreak, which postponed the 2020 Summer Olympic Games for a year, the Olympics weathered politically charged boycotts and two separate terrorist attacks without being canceled or postponed during peacetime.

InsideTheGames.com provides the history from 1940:

Three different cities were selected to host the 1940 Winter Olympics before the event was finally cancelled. They were originally awarded to Sapporo but the Japanese organizers withdrew in 1938 because of the Second Sino-Japanese War. The International Olympic Committee decided to give the Games instead to St. Moritz, host of the 1928 event. There were some problems, however, between the Swiss organizers and the IOC so the Games were cancelled again. The IOC then awarded them to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the German city which had hosted the Games in 1936. The event was due be held from February 2 until 11 but was abandoned following the start of World War Two. St Moritz were awarded the 1948 Winter Olympics and had only 18 months to organize them. Sapporo finally got to hold the Winter Olympics in 1972.

Olympic Sailing Program
Men’s One Person Dinghy – Laser
Women’s One Person Dinghy – Laser Radial
Men’s Two Person Dinghy – 470
Women’s Two Person Dinghy – 470
Men’s Skiff – 49er
Women’s Skiff – 49erFx
Men’s One Person Dinghy Heavy – Finn
Men’s Windsurfing – RS:X
Women’s Windsurfing – RS:X
Mixed Multihull – Nacra 17

Original dates: July 24 to August 9, 2020
Revised dates: July 23 to August 8, 2021

Details: https://tokyo2020.org/en/games/schedule/olympic/