Coronavirus COVID-19 threat over 2020 Tokyo Olympics: List of Olympic Games cancelled

With coronavirus outbreak forcing several sporting events to be cancelled across the globe, speculations are rife that International Olympics Committee may cancel 2020 Tokyo Olympics, scheduled to start on July 24.

IOC president Thomas Bach on Sunday, however, announced that there is no plan to cancel 2020 Tokyo Olympics but it is likely that the marquee event would be postponed due to the outbreak of the deadly virus.

"The IOC executive board emphasised that a cancellation of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 would not solve any of the problems or help anybody. Therefore, cancellation is not on the agenda," said Bach.

Bach added that a final call on Tokyo Games, including the scenario of postponement, would be made inside four weeks.

Since the start of the modern Olympics in 1896, the prestigious sporting event has only been cancelled three times, all due to a world war.

In 1916, Berlin Olympics organisers decided to cancel the Games after the start of First World War in July.

Berlin again got the chance to host the Olympics in 1936 when Adolf Hitler was at the helm of affairs in the country.

The Olympics was cancelled in 1940 and 1944 too during World War II.

Japan was scheduled to hold Olympics in 1940 but the Japanese government decided to cancel the Games amid concern that hosting the Olympics would detract resources from the military during World War II. 

Italy was chosen as the host of 1944 Olympics Games but the event was cancelled due to Second World War. The event was finally held in 1948 in London.