 There's been a heated public debate around whether the Tokyo Olympics should go ahead on July 23rd 2021, despite the ongoing risk of COVID-19. But this isn't the first time the Olympics have faced this kind of pressure in the wake of a pandemic. Only six months after the end of the First World War and in the midst of the Spanish flu, Antwerp Belgium was awarded the 1920 Olympic Games in recognition of the country's suffering. While a noble goal, it actually resulted in significant hardships for the recently war-torn city and showed that, like anything else, sports can become politicized in costly ways. Much like today, worries about the resurgence of the pandemic stalked the competition. Although the final wave of the Spanish flu hit Europe in the spring of 1920, newspapers were still reporting rumours of new outbreaks as the games commenced. Antwerp was the first Olympics to feature the famed five interlocking rings. Its design represents the union of the five continents and the meeting of athletes from throughout the world. At the opening ceremonies on August 14, 1920, the Belgian Organising Committee launched Doves and hosted a religious service in memory of the allied athletes killed during the war. Since many star athletes died or returned injured and unable to compete, of the more than 2,600 athletes who competed, several achieved remarkable successes, including Duke Kahanamoku, who set a world record in the 100m freestyle. But overall, the quality of the competition had dipped significantly. Some were cynical that the ideals of Olympism could promote peace in the wake of the war. One UK diplomat called the Olympics an international farce and joined a chorus of government officials arguing against funding a British team. Others felt differently. In one letter to the editor from June 1919, British Olympic officials said the 1920 games were a chance for Antwerp to show the tyrants of yesterday they had failed to break the city's spirit. The local Olympic Organising Committee and the athletes themselves explicitly connected the games to the war. The Belgian Olympic Committee, supported by the French National Committee, refused to invite athletes from Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire, even though the games were sold as a celebration of peace. The newly created Soviet Union also declined to attend. And in the wake of the war, amid a global recession, few governments had money to spend on sport. Many locals were unable to afford the high cost of tickets. Low local interest resulted in a loss of 600 million francs and the local organisation went bankrupt. Military officials also had to be called in to organise and stage events. The American team only arrived in Europe thanks to a last-minute military transport. The local committee's financial difficulties made conditions hard for sportsmen and women too. An American track and field athlete, Walker Smith, described the accommodations as dormitories of 15 or 16 men per room sleeping without mattresses. The food situation was similarly bleak, with athletes given only a roll and coffee for breakfast and a roll and sardines for lunch. They were forced to buy their food with their own money, since Belgium was still experiencing food shortages. Sporting facilities were also a shambles. The Olympic Stadium was barely finished, the track was incomplete and many of the races were conducted in muddy conditions. Swimmers faced even tougher circumstances. The organisers had not built a pool but instead constructed a wooden frame in an existing waterway. Eileen Rigen, American gold medallist in the women's three-metre springboard event, remembers diving into the city's ancient canal, a space shared by all of the nautical sports. We were heart-sick when we saw it. A 50-metre pool was not asking too much, but of course Belgium did the very best they could. This was right after the war. Despite all of this, Antwerp was considered a successful Olympics. But the IOC admitted it had learned a valuable lesson, how expensive it was to host the Games, and that it's imprudent to undertake them without having the necessary capital in hand. And that lesson is one international sporting events should take heed of today. Sport can become politicised in costly ways. We're looking at you Tokyo.