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Have the Olympics ever been postponed?

The Tokyo Olympics in 2021 will mark the first Games ever to be delayed to the following year.

The modern Olympics, first held in Athens in 1896, have only ever been canceled for World War I (1916) and World War II (1940 and 1944). Tokyo was due to host the 1940 Olympics.

During the Games, terror attacks at the 1972 Munich Olympics postponed events for one day. The 1996 Atlanta Centennial Olympic Park bombing delayed some events to later that day, Olympic historian Bill Mallon said.

Less significant delays for individual events due to weather are common, especially at the Winter Games with Alpine skiing races.