The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is currently under scrutiny for marketing t-shirts from the 1936 Berlin Games, an event where Adolf Hitler famously utilized the occasion to further Nazi Germany’s propaganda.
The Berlin Olympics, held 90 years ago, were heavily exploited as a propaganda tool after Hitler’s rise to power just three years earlier.
The controversial merchandise featured a design with a man donning a laurel crown, alongside the Olympic rings and the Brandenburg Gate.
This vintage-inspired t-shirt was offered on the official Olympics website as part of its Olympic Heritage Collection, priced at $42, and has since sold out online.
Critics have questioned the decision to highlight this particular Games in the collection, citing that it represents a bleak period in both Germany’s and the world’s history.
Public discontent moved online, with one user expressing: “Shocking sell-out—Olympics merch team really thought Nazi-era Berlin art was a good vibe? History lesson needed ASAP.”
Another remarked, according to The Independent: “History should be taught, not merchandised.”
Yoav Potash, director of the award-winning Holocaust documentary Among Neighbours, criticized the t-shirts as a ‘sickening affront to human decency’.
He told Fox News Digital: “To say that the IOC’s sale of these shirts is in poor taste would be a gross understatement. 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.”
Liora Rez, founder of StopAntisemitism, echoed these views, stating: “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 responded to the controversy. A spokesperson stated, as reported by 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.”
The disputed t-shirt no longer appears on the website, though it’s unclear if this is due to it being sold out or because of the negative reaction.
Requests for further comments from the IOC have been made.