Olympic Games

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Japan at the Olympics

• Japan first competed at the Olympic Games in 1912

• Japan have hosted the Olympic Games once, in 1964, when Tokyo was the host city. Tokyo was also selected to host the Games in 1940, but several countries planned to boycott the Games there because Japan was waging an aggressive war in Asia and then Japan itself decided the Games would be a distraction to their military goals. The Games were then rescheduled to be held in Helsinki, Finland, but the start of WW2 in 1939 caused the Games to be cancelled.

• In Beijing 2008, equestrian rider Hiroshi Hoketsu became the oldest Japanese Olympic representative at age 67. Hoketsu also took part in the 1964 Tokyo Games where he finished 40th in the showjumping event.

Related Pages

• list of all countries that have participated at the Olympic Games.
• Tokyo 1964 Olympic Games
• About Sport in Japan