The anticipated 1940 Winter Olympics, which would have been officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games, were to be celebrated in 1940 in Sapporo, Japan.
The games were cancelled due to the onset of World War II. Sapporo was selected to be the host of the fifth edition Winter Olympics scheduled February 3-12, 1940, but Japan gave the Games back to the IOC in July 1938, after the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937.
The IOC then decided to give the Winter Olympics to St Moritz, Switzerland, which had hosted in 1928. Due to controversies between the Swiss organizing team and the IOC, the Games were withdrawn again.
In the spring of 1939, the IOC gave the 1940 Winter Olympics, now scheduled for February 2-11, to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, where the previous 1936 games had been held. Three months later Germany invaded Poland on September 1 to ignite World War II, and the Winter Games were cancelled in November. Likewise, the 1944 games, awarded in 1939 to Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, were cancelled in 1941.
St Moritz held the first post-war games in 1948; Cortina d'Ampezzo hosted in 1956, and Sapporo in 1972.
Germany has not hosted the winter games since 1936. Neighboring Austria hosted at Innsbruck in 1964 and again in 1976, as a substitute following Denver's withdrawal in late 1972.
| Preceded by Garmisch-Partenkirchen |
Winter Olympics Sapporo Olympic Winter Games (1940) |
Succeeded by Cortina D'Ampezzo |
|
||||||||||||||
The 1940 Winter Olympics, should have been held in Sapporo, Japan, on February 3 - 12, 1940. These would have been the V Olympic Winter Games. The games were cancelled (not held) because of the start of the war between Japan and China, the Second Sino-Japanese War, in 1937. Sapporo gave the games back to the control of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in July 1938.
The IOC decided to give the Winter Olympics to St. Moritz, Switzerland. There were some problems between the Swiss organizers and the IOC so the Games were cancelled again. The IOC then gave the 1940 Winter Olympics to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. Garmisch-Partenkirchen had hosted the 1936 Winter Olympics. The Games were to be held from February 2 - 11, 1940. When World War II began in 1939, the IOC decided in November 1939 not to hold the 1940 Winter Games at all.
St. Moritz later held the 1948 Winter Olympics and Sapporo held the 1972 Winter Olympics.
| Olympic Games | ||
|---|---|---|
| Summer Games: 1896, 1900, 1904, 1906, 1908, 1912, (1916), 1920, 1924, 1928, 1932, 1936, (1940), (1944), 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, 2024, 2028 | ||
| Winter Games: 1924, 1928, 1932, 1936, (1940), (1944), 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 | ||
| Athens 2004 — Turin 2006 — Beijing 2008 — Vancouver 2010 — London 2012 — Sochi 2014 — Rio 2016 Games in italics will be held in the future, and those in (brackets) were cancelled because of war. See also: Ancient Olympic Games | ||
| Youth Olympic Games | ||
|---|---|---|
| Summer Games:2010, 2014, 2018 | ||
| Winter Games:2012, 2016 | ||
| Singapore 2010 — Innsbruck 2012 — Nanjing 2014 | ||
|
|
Top topics
Wikis
Quiz
Map
Search
