The 1952 Summer Olympics, commonly known as Helsinki 1952, and officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1952. Helsinki had been originally selected to host the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were then cancelled due to World War II. Inspired by the success of the Swedish 1912 Olympics, Finnish sports fans began to arouse the idea of their own Olympic Games. In 1927 Finland’s main sports organizations and the City of Helsinki founded the ‘Stadion Foundation’ to get the stadium to Helsinki, and Ernst Edvard Krogius, who represented Finland on the International Olympic Committee (IOC), announced Finland’s willingness to host the competition. In 1930 Helsinki registered as a candidate for the 1940 Games, but World War II broke out on 1 September 1939. The Organizing Committee decided to abandon the Games on 20 March 1940 and at the meeting of the Finnish Olympic Committee on 20 April 1940, the Olympic Games in Finland were officially canceled. At the end of World War II Helsinki registered again as candidates for the 1952 Games: at the IOC Congress in Stockholm (21 June 1947), Helsinki was chosen as the host city, over the Netherlands (Amsterdam) and the United States (Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Detroit, Chicago and Philadelphia). Helsinki’s strengths included the fairly completed venues already built for the 1940 Games. Read more: Helsinki 1952