At the opening ceremony of the Atlanta Olympic Games, the actors' postures were displayed on white cloth through a giant projection, which vividly explained the classic posture of the Olympic movement.

Chinanews.com Client Beijing March March (Wang Hao) On the 24th, Beijing time, the International Olympic Committee and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Organizing Committee issued a joint statement. In view of the current situation, according to the information provided by WHO, the International Olympic Committee The Chairman and the Prime Minister of Japan reached a consensus that in order to protect the health of athletes, the 32nd Olympic Games in Tokyo will be held after 2020 but no later than the summer of 2021. The fate of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is settled in such a way under the eyes of the world.

The first modern Olympic Games was held in 1896. Looking back on the Olympic history of more than 100 years, countless exciting moments have emerged. The Olympic spirit has inspired generations to generations. But the Olympic Games itself has also experienced regrets caused by infectious diseases, war and terrorism.

infectious disease

The Tokyo Olympic Games is the first Olympic Games postponed due to an epidemic in the history of the modern Olympic Games, but this is not the first time that the Games have faced bacteria and viruses.

Data map: On July 25, 2016 local time, the Rio Olympic flame arrived in Sao Paulo, Brazil. A giant Olympic ring was raised over the streets of the financial center of Sao Paulo. Five acrobats performed in the ring. At the same time, a band played in the air to celebrate the flame's arrival in São Paulo.

On the eve of the opening of the Tokyo Olympics in 1964, cholera cases appeared outside Tokyo, preventing the spread of the epidemic became a major issue at the time. The pandemic during the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics also raised concerns. In recent years, H1N1 influenza and Zika virus have cast a shadow over the hosting of the Olympic Games.

In June 2009, WHO announced that influenza A (H1N1) has entered the global pandemic phase. Fortunately, the vaccine was developed before the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. The Winter Olympics was finally successfully held. The Organizing Committee of the Winter Olympics also required players from all countries to receive vaccination in advance while purchasing special effects.

A few years later, the Rio Olympics was also plagued by infectious diseases. In February 2016, half a year before the Rio Olympics, WHO declared Zika virus a global emergency public health event. In May of that year, a Canadian professor sent an open letter to the WHO asking for the Rio Olympics to be postponed or held at another location.

On August 5, local time, the opening ceremony of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games was held at the Maracana Stadium. Fireworks were shining over the opening ceremony. Photo by Du Yang

Since then, the International Olympic Committee has sent officials to Rio to work with WHO to advance epidemic prevention measures and event preparations. The city of Rio has also implemented large-scale environmental rectification work through administrative measures to block the spread of the virus and increase public awareness.

In the end, the Rio and Paralympic Games were held as scheduled, during which no participants or spectators were infected with Zika virus.

war

In the history of the modern summer Olympic Games for more than 100 years, it was forced to cancel three times in total, and all three were related to war.

The Sixteenth Olympic Games of 1916 was originally scheduled to be held in Berlin. According to media reports, "the father of the modern Olympics", Coubertin, hoped that when the venue was determined, the Olympics would help German peace forces to unite against the war and help the resurgence of war in Europe Return to peace.

Bronze statue of Coubertin.

However, his wish was not fulfilled. In July 1914, World War I broke out and spread rapidly. It did not end until November 1918. In the midst of the war, the Berlin Olympics were cancelled.

In World War I, 32 Olympians died on the battlefield, of which 16 won medals. In addition, the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee moved to Switzerland, a neutral country, when the threat of war in Paris was threatened.

After World War I, world peace did not last long. With the outbreak of the Second World War, the scope of the tragic war spanned Europe and Asia, and the war burned to the Atlantic, Pacific and even Arctic Oceans. This is also the largest world war in human history to date.

The Second World War did not end until September 1945, during which two Olympic Games were forced to be cancelled, the Tokyo Olympic Games in 1940 and the London Olympic Games in 1944.

Data map: During World War II in August 1941, British troops entered the ancient city of Palmyra.

The modern Olympic Games, as an important manifestation of the Olympic spirit of "mutual understanding, long-lasting friendship, solidarity, and fair competition", can only be helplessly stopped in the concentrated outbreak of human ugly desires such as war, which must be said to be a great irony.

terrorism

As the world situation continues to change, terrorism has become another major threat to human security. The world-renowned Olympics have also become the target of terrorist action.

On August 26, 1972, the Munich Olympic Games opened. More than 7,000 players from more than 100 countries and regions participated in the Munich Olympics. Among them, Israel sent one of the largest delegations in the country to that time.

Munich Olympic emblem. Image source: IOC official website

In the early morning of September 5, eight militants affiliated with the "Black September" organization broke into the Olympic Village, killed two Israeli athletes, and hijacked nine Israeli athletes.

In the end, the government's rescue operation failed and all nine hijacked athletes were killed. The incident eventually killed 11 Israeli athletes, a police officer and five militants. The "Munich tragedy" can be said to be the worst political terrorist incident in Olympic history.

From July 19 to August 4, 1996, the 26th Olympic Games was held in Atlanta, USA. A total of more than 10,000 athletes from 197 countries and regions in the world participated in the competition. This Olympic Games set a number of glorious records.

The 1996 Atlanta Olympics coincides with the centennial of the Olympic Games. The picture shows the opening ceremony. .

However, on July 27, a bomb blast in the Atlanta Olympic Park shocked the world. The explosion killed one person and injured more than 110 people. This incident cast a shadow over the Olympic Games.

In fact, the history of the Olympic Games looks a bit like the epitome of the modern history of human beings. While it is developing rapidly, it is also constantly suffering, but none of these difficulties can be solved.

Although the Tokyo Olympics have been postponed due to the epidemic, this does not mean that humans are succumbing to the virus. There are countless people in this world who are fighting it. As long as we are united and active in fighting the epidemic, victory is not far ahead! (Finish)