The 1936 Summer Olympic Games: the most politically-charged sporting event in history?

Berlin's sporting showpiece was Nazi propaganda at its most effective

Stars Insider

16/07/24 | StarsInsider

LIFESTYLE Sports

As Paris prepares to host the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in a climate of political upheaval, it's worth revisiting the events of August 1936 when Berlin was the host city for the Games of the XI Olympiad. Often referred to as the first of the so-called political Olympics, the 1936 Summer Olympic Games took place in an atmosphere of controversy and intrigue. 

Adolf Hitler used the Games to promote his government and ideals of racial supremacy and anti-Semitism, and took full advantage of the worldwide publicity to transform the event into a spectacle of Nazi propaganda. Seen today as an example of how dangerously tangled sports and politics can become, the Berlin Games also remind us that there is no place for prejudice and discrimination on any platform.

Intrigued? Click through this gallery for a brief summary of how a despised fascist regime manipulated one of the world's most prestigious sporting tournaments for its own gain.

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