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Olympic Committee Defends Selling T-Shirts Commemorating Nazi-Era Berlin Games
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is standing firm amid criticism over its sale of limited-edition T-shirts commemorating the 1936 Olympic Games held in Berlin during Adolf Hitler’s rule in Germany.
The controversial $42 shirt, based on an official poster from the event, has already sold out from the official Olympics online store despite strong condemnation from Jewish organizations worldwide. The design features the Olympic rings alongside a golden statue of a muscular man crowned in laurels next to a chariot of horses atop Berlin’s Brandenburg Gates.
In defense of the merchandise, an IOC spokesperson stated the Berlin 1936 design was part of a broader collection celebrating “130 years of Olympic art and design.” The spokesperson acknowledged the Games’ Nazi connections but emphasized other aspects of the event.
“While we of course acknowledge the historical issues of ‘Nazi propaganda’ related to the Berlin 1936 Olympic Games, we must also remember that the Games in Berlin saw 4,483 athletes from 49 countries compete in 149 medal events,” the IOC spokesperson said. “Many of them stunned the world with their athletic achievements, including Jesse Owens.”
Owens, a Black American track-and-field athlete, delivered a dominant performance that was widely interpreted as a rebuke to Hitler’s “master race” ideology.
The collection also included a T-shirt commemorating the 1936 Winter Games in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. That design shows a victorious skier with an upraised arm resembling a Nazi salute, created by Ludwig Hohlwein, a prominent artist in Joseph Goebbels’ propaganda division.
Jewish organizations have strongly criticized these items, pointing out that the 1936 Games were deliberately used as a propaganda tool to legitimize Hitler’s regime. Critics argue that selling such merchandise is particularly insensitive given today’s resurgence of antisemitism worldwide.
Scott Saunders, CEO of International March of the Living, an educational program organizing trips to concentration camps, told CNN: “As the world reflects on this latest controversy, it is impossible not to recall that we are approaching 90 years since the 1936 Berlin Olympics — an event the Nazi regime used to legitimize itself on the global stage while persecution of Jews was already well underway.”
Saunders added, “Sport has the power to unite, to inspire, and to elevate the very best of humanity. But history reminds us that it can also be manipulated to sanitize hatred and normalize exclusion. The lesson of Berlin is urgent. When antisemitism resurfaces in public life, whether in stadiums, streets, or online, silence is not neutrality. It is complicity.”
Christine Schmidt, co-director of the Wiener Holocaust Library in London, offered historical context, noting that “The Nazis used the 1936 Olympics to showcase their oppressive regime to the world, aiming to smooth over international relations while at the same time preventing almost all German-Jewish athletes from competing, rounding up the 800 Roma who lived in Berlin, and concealing signs of virulent antisemitic violence and propaganda from the world’s visitors.”
The aesthetic of the 1936 Games emphasized strongman caricatures aligned with Nazi ideals of an Aryan “master race” and was later memorialized in Leni Riefenstahl’s propaganda documentary “Olympia.”
The IOC’s “Heritage collection” also included a now sold-out T-shirt featuring a poster from the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, an event marked by tragedy when the entire Israeli athletic delegation was taken hostage and killed by the Palestinian terrorist group Black September.
This isn’t the first time Olympic commemorative merchandise has sparked controversy. Earlier this year, Adidas—a company founded by Nazi Party members—faced criticism for producing sneakers honoring the Munich Games. The company had previously drawn censure for its delayed response to antisemitic statements by Kanye West before eventually severing ties with the artist.
As the debate continues, the incident highlights the ongoing tension between honoring Olympic history and recognizing the political contexts in which some Games were held.
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8 Comments
As someone interested in sports history, I’m disappointed to see the IOC capitalize on the 1936 Berlin Olympics in this way. There were incredible athletic feats, but the underlying Nazi propaganda and ideology cannot be ignored. This merchandise feels like a missed opportunity to thoughtfully reflect on that complex legacy.
I’m surprised the IOC thinks this merchandise is acceptable. Even if they want to highlight the artistic design, the clear association with Nazi Germany is deeply concerning. They should reconsider this product line and find a more thoughtful way to commemorate that Olympics.
This is a concerning move by the IOC. Commemorating the 1936 Berlin Olympics, with its clear Nazi ties, seems highly insensitive and tone-deaf. I hope they reconsider this merchandise and focus on celebrating the athletic achievements of that era rather than the political backdrop.
I agree, the IOC should be more mindful of the historical context and not appear to be whitewashing the Nazi regime’s involvement in those Games.
The IOC’s defense of this merchandise is troubling. While the athletic achievements at the 1936 Games were impressive, they cannot be divorced from the horrific Nazi regime that orchestrated the event. I hope the IOC listens to the criticism and pulls this product line.
Agreed. The IOC should be more mindful of the broader historical context and the pain this merchandise may cause, rather than prioritizing commercial interests.
While the 1936 Olympics saw impressive athletic performances, the IOC cannot ignore the dark Nazi propaganda that permeated those Games. Selling merchandise that evokes this history is inappropriate and disrespectful to the victims of the regime.
Precisely. The IOC should focus on celebrating the athletes and sportsmanship, not the oppressive political environment in which the 1936 Olympics took place.