Editing 1952 Summer Olympics (section)

===Host city selection===
[[File:Souvenir cloth of OL 1940 at Sporvejsmuseet.jpg|thumb|A rare souvenir cloth of the cancelled 1940 Summer Olympics in Helsinki at Sporvejsmuseet Skjoldenæsholm in Denmark. The small picture shows some of the Copenhagen tram trailers which was exported to Helsinki due to the Olympics before it was cancelled]]

Inspired by the success of the Swedish [[1912 Summer Olympics|1912 Olympics]], Finnish sports fans began to arouse the idea of their own Olympic Games: for example, [[Erik von Frenckell]] publicly presented his dreams of the Finnish Olympic Games at the opening of the 1915 [[Töölön Pallokenttä]].<ref>{{cite web | url= http://itsenaisyys100.fi/suursota-esti-suomalaisten-odottaman-helsingin-olympiaisannyyden-1940/ |title = Suursota esti suomalaisten odottaman Helsingin olympiaisännyyden 1940 | trans-title = The Great War prevented the Helsinki Olympics 1940 |work= Suomifinland100.fi |publisher = Helsinki Finnish Club |access-date= 2017-07-16 |language=Finnish}}</ref>

As the Olympic success continued in the 1920s, enthusiasm for one's own Olympics grew, and after the [[1920 Summer Olympics|1920 Antwerp Olympics]], Finnish sports leaders began planning to build a stadium in Helsinki in 1920. Finland's main sports organizations and the City of Helsinki founded the Stadion Foundation in 1927 to get the stadium to Helsinki. In the same year, [[Ernst Edvard Krogius]], who represented Finland on the [[International Olympic Committee]] (IOC), announced Finland's willingness to host the competition.{{sfn|Wickström|2002|p=13}}

In 1930, preparations for the 1936 Games, which was accelerated by the launch of a design project for the [[Helsinki Olympic Stadium|Olympic Stadium]]. However, Helsinki was not a candidate in the first round in 1931,<ref name = "IOC vote history">{{cite web |url=http://www.aldaver.com/votes.html |title=International Olympic Committee Vote History |date=9 September 2013 |access-date=24 February 2015 |archive-date=May 25, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080525070757/http://www.aldaver.com/votes.html |url-status=usurped }}</ref> and [[Berlin]] won the competition, but Helsinki immediately registered as a candidate for the 1940 Games.{{sfn|Wickström|2002|p=13}} Those games were awarded to [[Tokyo]] in 1936, and two years later with the outbreak of the [[Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945)|Sino-Japanese War]] Japan announced they were giving up the 1940 games, and four days later the IOC offered the Games to Helsinki, which agreed to take over, although there was little time left to prepare for the Games.<ref name = "dream">{{cite web | url= http://www.mrl.edu.hel.fi/eu/megaevents/haaveolympia.html | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080325112118/http://www.mrl.edu.hel.fi/eu/megaevents/haaveolympia.html | url-status= dead | archive-date= 2008-03-25 |title = SUOMEN HAAVE OLYMPIAISÄNNYYDESTÄ JA SEN TOTEUTUMINEN | trans-title = Finland 's dream of hosting an Olympics and its realization |publisher = City of Helsinki |access-date = 2018-10-22 |language=Finnish}}</ref>

World War II broke out on 1 September 1939, with the [[Nazi Germany|German]]–[[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[invasion of Poland]], which also drew [[United Kingdom|Britain]] and [[France]] to war. Despite the aggression, the Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games continued to be optimistic about the preparations for the Games. However, the [[Winter War|Soviet invasion of Finland]] on 30 November 1939, halted planning for the games. After the Winter War, the Organizing Committee decided to abandon the Games on 20 March 1940 due to the hostilities across Europe, the suspension of preparations caused by the Winter War, and the deplorable economic situation. At the meeting of the [[Finnish Olympic Committee]] on 20 April 1940, the Olympic Games in Finland were officially canceled. In the meantime, World War II had already expanded, with Germany [[Operation Weserübung|occupying Denmark and fighting in Norway]].<ref name = "dream" /> Instead of the Olympic Games, Finland held a {{ill|Memorial Competitions for Fallen Athletes|fi|Kaatuneiden urheilijoiden muistokilpailut}} who died in the Winter War against Russia, at the opening of which actor [[Eino Kaipainen]] recited the poem ''Silent Winners'' written by {{interlanguage link|Yrjö Jylhä|fi}}. The memorial competitions were held on the initiative of the sports journalist {{ill|Sulo Kolkka|fi}}.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://seura.fi/asiat/historia/sotahistoria/talvisota-ja-olympiakisat/ | title = Winter War and Olympic Games |author1 = Antero Raevuori | work= Seura.fi | date = 2013-04-24 |publisher = Otavamedia |access-date= 2017-07-15|language=Finnish}}</ref>

At the end of World War II, [[London]] was awarded the [[1948 Summer Olympics]] after the city was originally granted the 1944 Games, which were canceled due to the war. Helsinki continued its attempt to have the Games organized and registered as candidates for the 1952 Games. At the IOC Congress in Stockholm on 21 June 1947, Helsinki was chosen as the host city, leaving behind the bids of [[Amsterdam]], [[Los Angeles]], [[Minneapolis]], [[Detroit]], [[Chicago]] and [[Philadelphia]].{{sfn|Wickström|2002|p=20}} Helsinki's strengths included the fairly completed venues built for the 1940 Games.