In 1931, when Berlin was chosen as the site for the 1936 Olympics, few people suspected that a mere two years would see the rise to power of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party.

Jews in various countries asked for a boycott of the Berlin Olympics, and in the United States a boycott proposal was only narrowly defeated.

An alternative People's Olympics was scheduled to take place in Barcelona, Spain, but it was cancelled at the last minute when the Spanish Civil War broke out the day before competition was set to begin.

The 1936 Olympics are best remembered for Hitler's failed attempt to use them to prove his theories of Aryan superiority, but they are also noteworthy because they saw the introduction of the torch relay, in which a lighted torch is carried from Olympia to the site of the current Games.

The 1936 Olympics were also the first to be shown on television.

Twenty-five large TV screens were set up in theatres throughout Berlin, allowing locals to set the Games for free.

The 1940 Olympics were awarded to Japan - the Winter Games to Sapporo and the Summer Games to Tokyo - but when Japan invaded China and became caught up in a major war, the Olympics were taken away from the Japanese.

The Winter Games, rescheduled for Garmisch-Patenkirchen, site of the 1936 Games, were cancelled less than five months before the planned starting date, when Germany invaded Poland to kick off World War II.

The Summer Games, re-awarded to Helsinki, were cancelled when Soviet troops invaded Finland.