Berlin 1936 Summer Olympics

The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, an international multi-sport

event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany.

The Nazis saw the event as a way to promote their ideology. They built four grandiose stadiums, swimming

pools, an outdoor theater, a polo field, and an Olympic Village that had 150 cottages for the male

athletes. Throughout the Games, the Olympic complex was covered in Nazi banners.

Nazi propaganda complete color film from 1936. An outstanding portrait of everyday life in Berlin in this rare, well preserved film, with the magical feeling of the pastel colors of Agfachrome.
Original soundtrack.

By allowing only members of the Aryan race to compete for Germany, Hitler further promoted his ideological

belief of racial supremacy. At the same time, the party removed signs stating "Jews not wanted" and

similar slogans from the city's main tourist attractions. In an attempt to "clean up" Berlin, the German

Ministry of Interior authorized the chief of police to arrest all Romani (Gypsies) and keep them in a

special camp.

Filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl, a favorite of Hitler's, was commissioned by the IOC to film the Games. Her

film, entitled Olympia, introduced many of the techniques now common to the filming of sports.

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

Jesse Owens's participation in the Olympics was controversial because of his race, at a time when

segregation and discrimination against blacks were the norm in much of the United States. However, once in

Berlin, Owens was able to freely use public transportation and enter bars and other public facilities

without the difficulty he would face as a black man in the United States.

On reports that Hitler had deliberately avoided acknowledging his victories, and had refused to shake his

hand, Owens recounted "When I passed the Chancellor he arose, waved his hand at me, and I waved back at

him. I think the writers showed bad taste in criticizing the man of the hour in Germany.”

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

These are the top ten nations that won medals at these Games

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