Helsinki hosted the 1952 Summer Olympics, the first modern Olympic Games held after World War II.
The Games took place from 19 July to 3 August 1952. Helsinki had originally been selected to host the 1940 Olympics, but those Games were cancelled because of World War II. The Finnish capital eventually welcomed athletes from 69 nations, making the event an important symbol of international sporting recovery.
The 1952 Olympics are especially associated with Emil Zátopek of Czechoslovakia, who won the 5,000 metres, 10,000 metres and marathon. They also marked the Olympic debut of the Soviet Union, whose athletes competed in Helsinki for the first time.
Helsinki is sometimes confused with Stockholm, which hosted the 1912 Olympics, or with the 1956 equestrian events held in Stockholm because of quarantine rules in Melbourne. Helsinki remains the only Finnish city to host the Summer Olympics.