The 1936 Olympics turned out to be the most controversial of all the Games in the entire history of their holding. Germany was not allowed to participate in these competitions in 1920 and 1924, which did not bother Hitler at all, since he believed that it was not proper for true Aryans to compete with "Negro Jews". In this regard, the decision of the IOC in 1931 seems to be very strange - to provide the Olympic Games in Germany.
Hitler's state policy towards the Jews almost put an end to the Games in Germany, but the Fuhrer decided that a demonstration of the power and fortitude of the Aryans would be a good propaganda of his ideas. Adolf unconditionally believed in the superiority of his athletes and allocated 20 million Reichsmarks for the Olympics.
The world community has serious doubts about the advisability of competitions of this level in Germany. They argued that the very idea of the Olympic Movement denies any restrictions on the participation of athletes on religious or racial grounds. But many athletes and politicians did not support the boycott.
In 1934, IOC officials visited Berlin, which, however, was thoroughly "cleaned out" before this visit, removing all signs of anti-Semitism. The commission also spoke with Jewish athletes, who convinced the examiners of their freedom. Although the IOC passed a positive verdict, a lot of athletes did not go to these Games.
Numerous guests who visited Berlin during the Olympics did not notice the manifestations of German anti-Semitism, so carefully Hitler hid all the posters, leaflets, brochures of anti-Jewish content. The Aryan team even included one athlete of Jewish origin - fencing champion Helena Mayer.
Berliners were hospitable to foreign Olympic athletes. The city was decorated with Nazi symbols, and numerous military personnel were hidden from prying eyes. Representatives of the world press wrote rave reviews about the organization of the Games in Berlin. Even the most suspicious and perceptive could not discern the whole truth, and at that time, in one of the suburbs of the German capital, the Oranienburg concentration camp was filled.
The opening ceremony of the Olympics was pompous and on an unprecedented scale. The Fuhrer tried and threw dust in the eyes of the numerous guests of the capital. He personally released 20 thousand snow-white pigeons at the stadium. A huge zeppellin with the Olympic flag circled in the sky, cannons fired deafeningly. Athletes from 49 countries paraded in front of the stunned and joyful spectators.
The largest team was in Germany - 348 athletes, 312 people were fielded by the USA. The Soviet Union did not take part in these Games.
The results of the XI Olympiad delighted Hitler. The German athletes received 33 gold, leaving the rest of the athletes far behind. The Fuhrer received confirmation of the "superiority" of the Aryans. But the Jewish fencer also achieved success and took second place, other athletes of Semitic origin won medals and performed well. This contradicted Hitler's ideas and was a tangible fly in the ointment that spoiled his joy.
The Nazi dogma was shaken by the undoubted success of the black athlete from the United States - the specialist in running and jumping Jesse Owens. The American team won 56 medals, of which 14 were won by African Americans. Jess took three gold medals from the Berlin Olympics and became its real hero.
Hitler refused to congratulate Owens and any other dark-skinned athlete. The successes of this athlete were hushed up in the German press, only the Aryans were extolled there. There is no denying the success of the German Olympians - they were amazing!
