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Historian Recalls Another Time The Olympics Were Held During A Pandemic

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Charles (Charley) Paddock, second from right, of the USA wins the 100 meters final with his famous "flying finish" at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. Morris Kirksey, far right, of the USA was second, and Jackson Scholz of USA, left, was fourth. Third place Harry Edward not shown. (AP Photo)
Charles (Charley) Paddock, second from right, of the USA wins the 100 meters final with his famous "flying finish" at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. Morris Kirksey, far right, of the USA was second, and Jackson Scholz of USA, left, was fourth. Third place Harry Edward not shown. (AP Photo)

The Tokyo Olympics do not mark the first time the world has hosted the games during a pandemic.

More than 100 years ago, Belgium hosted the Olympics just months after the 1918 influenza pandemic killed at least 50 million people around the world.

Here & Now's Jane Clayson speaks about how the games have changed since 1920 with Keith Rathbone, a historian at Macquarie University in Australia.

General view of the opening ceremonies of the VII Olympic Games on April 20, 1920, in Antwerp, Belgium. (Getty Images)
General view of the opening ceremonies of the VII Olympic Games on April 20, 1920, in Antwerp, Belgium. (Getty Images)
Athletes assemble for the start of the marathon at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium, 1920. (FPG/Archive Photos/Getty Images)
Athletes assemble for the start of the marathon at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium, 1920. (FPG/Archive Photos/Getty Images)
The U.S. Olympic team on the deck of the USS Princess Matoika en route to Antwerp, Belgium, for the 1920 Summer Olympics. Their voyage resulted in the so-called "Mutiny of the Matoika," in which members of the team published a list of complaints about the vessel. (Paul Thompson/FPG/Archive Photos/Getty Images)
The U.S. Olympic team on the deck of the USS Princess Matoika en route to Antwerp, Belgium, for the 1920 Summer Olympics. Their voyage resulted in the so-called "Mutiny of the Matoika," in which members of the team published a list of complaints about the vessel. (Paul Thompson/FPG/Archive Photos/Getty Images)

This segment aired on August 5, 2021.

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