Everything about Berlin Olympics totally explained
The
1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the
Games of the XI Olympiad, were held in 1936 in
Berlin,
Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the games, with the
International Olympic Committee choosing Berlin over
Barcelona in April 1931.
The bid to host the Olympics was won before the
National Socialist German Workers Party (a.k.a. the Nazi party) gained power in Germany. Since, however, the party now was in power, some leaders in the government saw the Olympics as an opportunity to promote their ideology, particularly its promotion of the superiority of the "
Aryan Race".
Adolf Hitler was convinced by
Joseph Goebbels to allow the games to take place in Germany. Preparation for the games started in the early 1930s. Hitler used the Olympics as a tool for propaganda. Film-maker
Leni Riefenstahl, a favorite of Hitler, was commissioned by the
International Olympic Committee to film the Games. The film, titled
Olympia, originated many of the techniques now commonplace to the filming of sports.
By allowing only members of the "Aryan race" to compete for Germany, Hitler further promoted his ideological belief of racial supremacy. Although Germany won most of the medals in the Olympics, other athletes, such as African-American athlete
Jesse Owens, who won four gold medals, showed great athleticism through performance.
Hitler removed signs stating "Jews not wanted" and similar slogans from the main tourist attractions. Hitler desired to clean up Berlin, the
German Ministry of Interior authorized the chief of Berlin Police to arrest all gypsies and keep them in a special camp. Nazi officials ordered that foreign visitors shouldn't be subjected to the criminal strictures of anti-homosexual laws.
Total ticket revenues were 7.5 million
Reichsmarks, with a profit of over 1 million marks. The official budget didn't include outlays by the city of Berlin (which issued an itemized report detailing its costs of 16.5 million marks) or the
German National Government (which didn't make its costs public, but is estimated to have spent
US$30 million in mostly capital outlays).
Nazi influence on and use of sporting events
Hans von Tschammer und Osten, who was the head of the
Reich Sports Office, played a major role in the structure and organization of the Olympics. He believed that the use of sports would harden the German spirit and instill unity among the German youths.
Von Tschammer also believed that sports was a "way to weed out the weak, Jewish, and other undesirables". Many Jews and Gypsies were banned from participating in sporting events.
The
Hitler Youth also played a large part in the sporting events. The German leaders instilled a strong drive and work ethic into the youths. To promote a strong drive and work ethic, German leaders encouraged athletic achievement.
Dispute over boycott of the Olympics in the U.S.
During the 1936 summer Olympics, there were many different views on whether the games should be allowed or discontinued. The people who voiced their opinions on the debate included Americans
Avery Brundage, Ernest Lee Jahncke, and Judge Jeremiah Mahoney. The United States considered boycotting the Olympic games, since participating in the festivity might be considered as support for the Nazi Germany regime and its
anti-Semitic policies. However, others argued that the Olympic Games shouldn't be a reflection of political views but strictly a contest of the greatest athletes.
Avery Brundage, President of the American Olympic Committee was against the boycott, stating that the Jewish athletes were being treated fairly and that the games should continue. Brundage believed that politics played no role in sports, and they should be considered two different entities during the controversial Olympics. He explained stating, “The very foundation of the modern Olympic revival will be undermined if individual countries are allowed to restrict participation by reason of class, creed, or race.” Brundage also believed that there was a “Jewish-Communist conspiracy” that existed to keep the United States out of competing in the Olympic games.
Unlike Brundage, Jeremiah Mahoney was against the Olympics and supported a boycott against the games. Mahoney, president of the
Amateur Athletic Union, led newspaper editors and anti-Nazi groups to protest against an American team participating in the Berlin Olympics. Mahoney contested that discrimination went against Olympic rules and participation showed support for Hitler’s Reich.
African Americans and Jewish Americans also expressed their opinions for or against American participation. Most African American newspapers supported the Olympics.
The Philadelphia Tribune and
The Chicago Defender both agreed that Black victories would undermine Nazi views of Aryan supremacy. They believed it would spark more Black pride at home. American Jewish organizations opposed the Olympics. The
American Jewish Congress and the
Jewish Labor Committee staged rallies and supported the boycott of German goods to show their disdain for American participation.
Eventually, Avery Brundage won the debate, manipulating the Amateur Athletic Union to close a vote in favor of sending an American team to the Berlin Olympics, winning by only two and a half votes. Mahoney’s efforts to incite a boycott of the Olympic games in the United States failed.
President Roosevelt demanded the participation of U.S.A. in the Olympics, intending to keep the tradition of America being void of outside influence intact.
The 1936 summer Olympics had the largest representation of nations participating than any other previous Olympics. These nations included the United States which, despite the debate, decided to send an Olympic team to Berlin, although some American competitors (including
Milton Green and
Norman Canners, both Jewish athletes) decided to abstain from participating and boycotted the Olympic games.
Jesse Owens
Jesse Owens' participation in the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics was controversial because he was African American at a time when segregation and racial discrimination were the norm in the U.S.A. However, during the Olympics Owens was able to freely use public transportation and enter bars and other public facilities without the difficulty he'd face as a Black man in the States. Adolf Hitler was present during the Olympics and didn't acknowledge the accomplishments of any Olympian, as the Olympic Committee believed that Hitler should retain Olympic neutrality and avoid congratulating any Olympic participants. It was therefore not abnormal that Hitler didn't shake his hand after his victories. Indeed, on Owens return to the States, president Roosevelt didn't deign to shake his hand in congratulations. The German crowds adored Owens, and he forged a long-term friendship with German competitor Lutz Long.
Highlights
- It is widely repeated that Hitler snubbed Jesse Owens and his achievements. However, while Hitler didn't congratulate Owens, he didn't congratulate any athlete (including the German athletes) after the first day. Hitler did leave the stadium just before another black American athlete, Cornelius Johnson, was set to receive his medal.
- United States Olympic Committee president Avery Brundage became a main supporter of the games being held in Germany, arguing that "politics has no place in sport", despite having initial doubts.
- In the cycling match sprint finals, the German Toni Merkens fouled Arie van Vliet of the Netherlands. Instead of being disqualified, he was fined 100 marks and kept his gold.
- Jesse Owens won four gold medals in the sprint and long jump events. His German competitor Lutz Long offered Owens advice after he almost failed qualifying in the long jump and was posthumously awarded the Pierre de Coubertin medal for sportsmanship.
- Rie Mastenbroek of the Netherlands won three gold medals and a silver in swimming.
- In the freestyle, swimmers originally dove from the pool walls, but diving blocks were incorporated at the 1936 Olympics.
- Rower Jack Beresford won his fifth Olympic medal in the sport, and his third gold medal.
- The U.S. eight-man rowing team from the University of Washington won the gold medal, coming from behind to defeat the Germans and Italians with Adolf Hitler in attendance.
- The Olympic Flame was used for the second time at these games, but this marked the first time it was brought to the Olympic Town by a torch relay, with the starting point in Olympia, Greece.
- The games were the first to have live television coverage. The German Post Office, using equipment from Telefunken and Fernseh, broadcast over seventy hours of coverage to special viewing rooms throughout Berlin and Potsdam and a few private TV sets, over Paul Nipkow TV Station. The broadcasts were used as a plot element in Contact, a science fiction novel by Carl Sagan, later adapted as a movie.
- Basketball and handball made their debut at the Olympics, both as outdoor sports. Handball wouldn't appear again on the program until 1972.
- German gymnasts Konrad Frey and Alfred Schwarzmann both won three gold medals.
- In the marathon two Korean athletes won medals — Sohn Kee-chung (gold) and Nam Sung-yong (bronze) — running for Japan and under Japanese names. Japan had annexed Korea in 1910.
- In the quarter-finals of the football tournament, Peru beat Austria 4-2 in extra-time, but a rematch was ordered, since Peruvian fans had stormed the field when the score was 2-2 and had injured an Austrian player. The Peruvian government ordered the Olympic team to withdraw in protest, seeing this as an insult, while Austria went on to receive the silver medal.
- The Republic of China's Three Principles of the People was chosen as the best national anthem of the games.
- Germany had a prosperous year in the equestrian events, winning individual and team gold in all three disciplines, as well as individual silver in dressage.
- Basketball was added to the Olympic program. In the final game, the United States beat Canada 19-8. The contest was played outdoors on a dirt court in driving rain. Due to the quagmire, the teams couldn't dribble, thus the score was held to a minimum. Joe Fortenbury was the high scorer for the U.S. with 7 points. Spectators didn't have seats, and the people (approximately 1000) in attendance had to stand in the rain.
- Despite not coming from fascist countries, French and Canadian Olympians gave what appeared to be the Hitler salute at the opening ceremony, although some have later claimed that they were just performing the Olympic salute, which was in fact a very similar action.
- India won the gold medal in the field hockey event once again (they won the gold in all Olympics from 1928-1956, though they didn't win any other awards in any other sport), defeating Germany 8-1 in the final. However, Indians were considered Indo-Aryans by the Germans and there was no controversy regarding their victory.
- Estonia's Kristjan Palusalu won two gold medals in Men's Wrestling, marking the last time Estonia competed as an independent nation in the Olympics until 1992.
- Italy's football team continued their dominance, winning the gold medal in these Olympics between their two consecutive World Cup victories (1934 and 1938). Much like the successes of German athletes, this triumph was claimed by supporters of Benito Mussolini's regime as a vindication of the superiority of the fascist system.
Events
Demonstration sports
Baseball
Gliding
Participating nations
A total of 49 nations attended the Berlin Olympics, up from 37 in 1932. Six nations made their first official Olympic appearance at these Games: Afghanistan, Bermuda, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Liechtenstein, and Peru.
Medal count
These are the top ten nations that won medals at these Games.
| 1 |
(host nation) |
33 |
26 |
30 |
89 |
| 2 |
|
24 |
20 |
12 |
56 |
| 3 |
|
10 |
1 |
5 |
16 |
| 4 |
|
8 |
9 |
5 |
22 |
| 5 |
|
7 |
6 |
6 |
19 |
| |
7 |
6 |
6 |
19 |
| 7 |
|
6 |
5 |
9 |
20 |
| 8 |
|
6 |
4 |
8 |
18 |
| 9 |
|
6 |
4 |
7 |
17 |
| 10 |
|
4 |
7 |
3 |
14 |
Quotes
"The sportive, knightly battle awakens the best human characteristics. It doesn't separate, but unites the combatants in understanding and respect. It also helps to connect the countries in the spirit of peace. That's why the Olympic Flame should never die." |
"German sport has only one task: to strengthen the character of the German people, imbuing it with the fighting spirit and steadfast camaraderie necessary in the struggle for its existence." |
Further Information
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