Tokyo Lost The Olympics Before Hosting

Japan was originally chosen to host the 1940 Olympics, but the games were cancelled due to World War II. It took until 1964 for the city to finally serve as the host for the first time.

Tokyo was actually awarded the 1940 games, but the outbreak of war forced the event to be canceled entirely. By the time they finally held the games in 1964, it marked a massive turning point for Japan's global image after the war. Interestingly, Tokyo later hosted again in 2020, though those games became famous for being the only ones in history to be held without spectators. It remains one of the most resilient stories in the history of international sports.