1940 Winter Olympics facts for kids
The 1940 Winter Olympics were a major sports event that was planned but never happened. They were also known as the V Olympic Winter Games. These games had to be cancelled because of World War II.
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The 1940 Winter Olympics That Never Were
The 1940 Winter Olympics were supposed to be the fifth time the Winter Olympic Games were held. However, these games never took place. They were cancelled because of a big global conflict called World War II.
The First Plan: Sapporo, Japan
The games were first planned to take place in Sapporo, Japan. This decision was made a few years before 1940. But in 1938, the Japanese organizers decided to pull out. They withdrew because of a conflict called the Second Sino-Japanese War. This war made it difficult for them to host such a large event.
A New Plan: Switzerland and Germany
After Japan pulled out, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) looked for a new host city. They decided to give the Winter Olympics to St. Moritz, Switzerland. St. Moritz is a famous place for winter sports.
However, there were some disagreements between the Swiss organizers and the IOC. Because of these problems, the games were cancelled in St. Moritz too.
The IOC then chose Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, as the new host city for the 1940 Winter Olympics. Garmisch-Partenkirchen had already hosted the 1936 Winter Olympics successfully. The games were scheduled to be held from February 2 to February 11, 1940.
Why the Games Were Finally Cancelled
Even with a new host city, the 1940 Winter Olympics could not happen. The main reason was the start of World War II. This major global conflict made it impossible to hold the games safely and fairly. So, the 1940 Winter Olympics were officially cancelled.
Related pages
 Olympic Games |
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| 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 |
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| 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 — Pyeongchang 2018 — Tokyo 2020 Games in italics will be held in the future, and those in (brackets) were cancelled because of war. See also: Ancient Olympic Games |
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| Youth Olympic Games |
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| Summer Games: 2010, 2014, 2018 | ||
| Winter Games: 2012, 2016, 2020 |
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| Singapore 2010 — Innsbruck 2012 — Nanjing 2014 |
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See also
In Spanish: Juegos Olímpicos de Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1940 para niños
