1916 Summer Olympics — Games of the VI Olympiad, scheduled to be played in Berlin, Germany, in 1916 but canceled due to World War I
The 1916 Berlin Olympics were the first Games cancelled in their history, marking the first interruption of the modern Olympic cycle due to war.
Key Facts
- Olympiad Number
- VI Olympiad
- Reason for Cancellation
- World War I
- Host City Selected
- 4 July 1912, Stockholm (14th IOC Session)
- Competing Bids Defeated
- Alexandria, Amsterdam, Brussels, Budapest, Cleveland
- Next Berlin Olympics
- 1936 Summer Olympics (20 years later)
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The outbreak of World War I in 1914 engulfed Europe in large-scale conflict, making the organisation and participation required for an international sporting event impossible. The war disrupted the political and logistical conditions necessary to bring nations together peacefully in Berlin.
The Games of the VI Olympiad, awarded to Berlin during the 14th IOC Session on 4 July 1912 after defeating bids from five other cities, were formally cancelled. This was the first cancellation in the twenty-year history of the modern Olympic Games, denying athletes the chance to compete in 1916.
The cancellation established a precedent for suspending the Olympics during global conflict; the Games were similarly cancelled in 1940 and 1944. Berlin eventually hosted the Summer Olympics in 1936, two decades after its originally scheduled Games.