Olympic committee under fire for selling replica t-shirts of 1936 Games that promoted Nazi Germany
Niamh Shackleton
Featured Image Credit: Tom Weller/Getty Images
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is facing some heat for selling t-shirts from the 1936 Berlin Games in light of the fact that Adolf Hitler used that specific sporting event to promote Nazi Germany.
Propaganda was used in Berlin 90 years ago after Hitler had taken over Germany three years prior.
On the clothing was a man wearing a laurel crown, the Olympic rings, and the Brandenburg Gate.
The decades-old design was being sold on the official Olympics website as part of its Olympic Heritage Collection for $42 and has sold out online.
Advert
Many people have raised questions about why this specific Games were commemorated as part of the collection since it was such a dark time in Germany's history — and the rest of the world.
Critics have taken to social media to voice their concerns, where one person penned: "Shocking sell-out—Olympics merch team really thought Nazi-era Berlin art was a good vibe? History lesson needed ASAP."
"History should be taught, not merchandised," added another, per The Independent.
Elsewhere, Yoav Potash, director of the award-winning Holocaust documentary Among Neighbours, called the t-shirts a 'sickening affront to human decency'.
"To say that the IOC's sale of these shirts is in poor taste would be a gross understatement," he told Fox News Digital. "The IOC has the benefit of 90 years of hindsight here. We know that Nazi Germany used its role as the Olympic host for propaganda purposes, aiming to showcase supposed Aryan superiority."
Echoing similar sentiments, Liora Rez, founder of StopAntisemitism, told the news outlet: "The Olympics have been a staging ground for antisemitism for decades.
"At the Munich Games in 1972, when terrorists butchered the Israeli Olympic team, the competition barely paused. Even decades later the IOC refused to properly commemorate the massacre. And this year, the Jew-hate is official."
The IOC has addressed the controversy. A spokesperson said, via The Jewish Chronicle: "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.
"Many of them stunned the world with their athletic achievements, including Jesse Owens."
At the time of writing the controversial piece of clothing doesn't appear to be listed on the website. It's unclear if that's because it's sold out or because of the backlash, however.
UNILAD have approached the IOC for additional comment.