In brief
The IOC's online shop has come under fire for selling T-shirts based on the original posters of the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Critics argue the apparel glorifies a significant moment in Nazi propaganda history. The IOC defends the sale as part of its Heritage Collection, aimed to celebrate Olympic history, despite calls to stop the sales due to the historical implications.
The official online fan shop of the Olympic Games has been selling T-shirts with designs from the Berlin Olympic Games in 1936, which were used by Adolf Hitler and the Nazis for propaganda.
There are calls in Germany for the sale of the shirts to be stopped, but the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has defended it as being part of its Heritage Collection, celebrating styles from all editions of the Games.
The T-shirts, which are emblazoned with the original poster design for the Berlin Olympics by Franz Würbel, are currently out of stock.
The 1936 Games were used by Hitler as a chance to promote his ideals of racial supremacy and to glorify Nazi Germany on an international stage.
The Berlin T-Shirt shows a male figure wearing a laurel wreath. Over his head are the Olympic rings. Underneath him is the Brandenburg Gate and the words 'Germany Berlin 1936 Olympic Games'.
Klara Schedlich, spokesperson for sports policy for the Green Party faction in the Berlin House of Representatives, stated, 'The 1936 Olympic Games were a central propaganda tool of the Nazi regime.' She criticized the IOC for 'clearly not reflecting sufficiently on its own history' and deemed 'the choice of image as problematic and unsuitable for a T-shirt, without context.'
The IOC replied that while it acknowledges the historical issues of Nazi propaganda, it also wishes to remember that the Berlin 1936 Games occurred with '4,483 athletes from 49 countries competing in 149 medal events.'
A spokesperson for the IOC expressed their commitment to celebrating '130 years of Olympic art and design,' including emblems, pictograms, posters, and mascots from all Olympic editions. The spokesperson added, 'Many of them stunned the world with their athletic achievements, including Jesse Owens.'
Jesse Owens, an African-American athlete, notably won four gold medals at the 1936 Games, countering the Nazi narrative of Aryan supremacy.
The IOC further noted that the historical context of the Berlin Games is showcased at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne. They mentioned that only a limited number of 1936 T-Shirts were produced and sold.
