1940 Summer Olympics torch relay

none Though the whole event was eventually cancelled due to the outbreak of war, the 1940 Summer Olympics torch relay was planned for both of the proposed host cities. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) awarded the 1940 Summer Olympics to Tokyo, Japan in July 1936. Tokyo's ability to host the event was questioned after war broke out with China (the Second Sino-Japanese War) with some countries calling for the Games to be boycotted. The Japanese decided to cancel the event and Helsinki, Finland, the runner-up city in the bidding process, was selected as the replacement.http://www.history.ac.uk/reviews/review/680 The 1940 Tokyo Games: The Missing Olympics: Japan, the Asian Olympics and the Olympic Movement, (review no. 680) December 2009 30 July 2012 Ben-Ami Shillony That too was cancelled after the outbreak of World War II. At the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin the first torch relay event took place, starting a tradition that has continued in all the Games that have taken place since. Both National Olympic Committees had given details about their plan for the Olympic Torch relay. Tokyo plans The distance from Olympia to Berlin made it possible to hold a relay on foot in a reasonable amount of time, but the distance to Tokyo gave the IOC cause for concern. They discussed the viability of such an undertaking on numerous occasions and eventually decided that they should try to replicate the success of the inaugural torch relay using "[s]teamers, automobiles, and airplanes". A report into the progress made on the planning of the Games stated that there would be a significant benefit "in diffusing the Olympic spirit in the districts where the knowledge of the Olympic movement is as yet very scanty".http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1940/OR1940.pdf Report of the Organizing Committee on its work for the XIIth Olympic Games of 1940 in Tokyo until the relinquishment LA84 Foundation 30 July 2012 26 June 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080626081911/http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1940/OR1940.pdf dead The organisation team behind the 1936 relay made recommendations to the Japanese Olympic Committee about how it could be completed. Their suggestions would see the torch carried for 10,000 km by runners and horse riders, travelling along the Silk Road across Central Asia. A significant portion of the relay would therefore take place across China, an idea not favoured by the Japanese. Another proposal, coming from Germany, was to pioneer the idea of air delivery of the Torch, in the purpose-built Messerschmitt Me 261 Adolfine long-range aircraft, which was designed to have a maximum range of some 11,024 km (6,850 mi) unrefueled.German Combat Planes: A Comprehensive Survey and History of the Development of German Military Aircraft from 1914 to 1945 Wagner Ray Nowarra Heinz 1971 Doubleday New York City 312 Several suggestions were made by the Japanese Olympic Committee about how the flame could be taken from Olympia to Tokyo. One proposal was for the torch to be carried on board a Japanese warship, but a later idea was for it to be taken by the Kamikaze, a Mitsubishi Ki-15 plane, across southern Asia. When the flame arrived in Japan it would be carried from Mount Hyūga in Kyushu to Tokyo via the Ise Shrine. A relay from Olympia to Tokyo eventually took place when the city hosted the 1964 Summer Olympics. Helsinki plans The Finnish Olympic Committee planned an ambitious relay that would cross Europe. The first part of the route would be very similar to that of 1936 as the torch travelled up to Berlin, the only addition being a detour to Slovakia. From there it would make its way through to Scandinavia, taken by a rowing boat where necessary.Olympic Relay from Olympia to Helsinki https://digital.la84.org/digital/api/collection/p17103coll1/id/26029/page/0/inline/p17103coll1_26029_0 23 November 2024 LA84 Foundation There was a further proposal that the flame would make its way to every Olympic Stadium in each host city of the previous ten Summer Games. Cauldrons at these locations would also keep the flame burning for the duration of the Games. While the torch route would include Athens, Berlin, and Stockholm the other host cities were further afield and would require alternative arrangements. Suggestions included branching off the relay to the European cities but it would be more difficult to arrange travel to the two in the United States. Cities included in the route The route would visit the following cities across Europe: LocationMapOlympia, Greece Athens ThessalonikiGreece center 300 Greece Olympia 37.638 21.63 Greece Athens 37.966667 23.716667 Greece Thessaloniki 40.65 22.9Sofia, BulgariaBulgaria center 300 Bulgaria Sofia 42.7 23.333333Niš, Kingdom of Yugoslavia Belgrade Novi SadYugoslavia (1939-41) center 300 Yugoslavia (1939-41) Niš 43.3209 21.8958 Yugoslavia (1939-41) Belgrade 44.816667 20.466667 Yugoslavia (1939-41) Novi Sad 45.25 19.85Szeged, Hungary Budapest MosonmagyaróvárHungary center 300 Hungary Szeged 46.255 20.145 Hungary Budapest 47.4925 19.051389 Hungary Mosonmagyaróvár 47.87371 17.26873BratislavaSlovakia center 300 Slovakia Bratislava 48.1486 17.1077ViennaAustria center 300 Austria Vienna 48.2 16.366667Tábor Prague TepliceCzechoslovakia center 300 Czechoslovakia Tábor 49.4 14.65 Czechoslovakia Prague 50.083333 14.416667 Czechoslovakia Teplice 50.633333 13.816667Dresden Bad Liebenwerda Berlin Wittenberg Perleberg Schwerin Lübeck Kiel FlensburgGermany 1937 center 300 Germany 1937 Dresden 51.033333 13.733333 Germany 1937 Bad Liebenwerda left 51.516667 13.4 Germany 1937 Berlin 52.516667 13.383333 Germany 1937 Wittenberg 51.866667 12.65 Germany 1937 Perleberg 53.066667 11.866667 Germany 1937 Schwerin 53.633333 11.416667 Germany 1937 Lübeck left 53.869722 10.686389 Germany 1937 Kiel 54.333333 10.133333 Germany 1937 Flensburg 54.781944 9.436667Kolding Nyborg Korsør Copenhagen HelsingørDenmark center 300 Denmark Kolding 55.491667 9.5 Denmark Nyborg left 55.3 10.783333 Denmark Kolding 55.491667 9.5 Denmark Korsør 55.333333 11.15 Denmark Copenhagen 55.676111 12.568333 Denmark Helsingør 56.036111 12.608333Helsingborg GothenburgSweden center 300 Sweden Helsingborg 56.0465 12.6945 Sweden Gothenburg 57.7 11.966667OsloNorway center 300 Norway Oslo 59.95 10.75Karlstad Stockholm Sundsvall Umeå Luleå HaparandaSweden center 300 Sweden Karlstad 59.378333 13.504167 Sweden Stockholm 59.329444 18.068611 Sweden Sundsvall 62.4 17.316667 Sweden Umeå 63.825 20.263889 Sweden Luleå 65.584444 22.153889 Sweden Haparanda 65.833333 24.133333Jyväskylä HelsinkiFinland center 300 Finland Jyväskylä 62.2426 25.7473 Finland Helsinki 60.1699 24.9384 References Torch Relay, 1940 Summer Olympics Category:Summer Olympics torch relays Category:Events cancelled due to World War II