No Olympic Games until after the war ends

Berlin, 11 March 1915 - It is believed that there are no plans to hold the 1916 Summer Olympic Games due to the ongoing war. 

At the International Congress held in Paris in 1913, Berlin was fixed as the venue for the next Olympic Games. Once the war broke out it became apparent that a change would have to be made in location, or else the games should be indefinitely postponed.

Germany has claimed they should still hold the games next year, but be open only to competitors of neutral countries. This proposal was promptly rejected.

A postage stamp made for the 1916 Summer Olympics to be held in Berlin. 

The New York Times report that a decision has not yet been reached on whether the games should be cancelled, the matter has been left in statu quo pending the termination of the war. Should the war end in time an attempt will probably be made to hold the Games according to the schedule, but at present most of the officials and virtually all the German athletes are at the front.

It has been said that if the Games do go ahead next year they will be held in America, although they cannot be counted as official games and the results will not go down in athletic history as Olympic records.

[Editor's note: This is an article from Century Ireland, a fortnightly online newspaper, written from the perspective of a journalist 100 years ago, based on news reports of the time.]