The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is facing criticism for selling merchandise commemorating the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games, an event widely associated with Nazi propaganda under Adolf Hitler.
A men’s T-shirt marking the Berlin Games was listed on the Olympics website as part of the IOC’s Heritage Collection. Although currently marked “out of stock,” the item has drawn scrutiny because the 1936 Games were used by the Nazi regime to promote its ideology to a global audience.
The design features the original 1936 Olympic poster created by Franz Würbel, depicting a crowned athletic figure with the Olympic rings and the Brandenburg Gate beneath, alongside the words “Germany Berlin 1936 Olympic Games.”
The Heritage Collection page states that each edition of the Games reflects a distinct historical moment when the world gathered to celebrate humanity. Critics argue that such framing risks overlooking the political context of the Berlin Games, held three and a half years after the Nazis came to power.
Hitler used the event to project an image of a strong and unified Germany, promoting the supposed superiority of so-called Aryan athletes while suppressing dissent and discrimination at home. Jewish athletes were largely excluded from participation, hundreds of Roma residents in Berlin were rounded up, and overt antisemitic propaganda was temporarily toned down to avoid international backlash.
Despite the regime’s intentions, African American athlete Jesse Owens emerged as the standout figure of the Games, winning four gold medals and challenging Nazi racial ideology on the world stage.
Christine Schmidt, co-director of the Wiener Holocaust Library in London, said the Games were instrumental in helping the Nazi regime improve its international image while persecution of Jews and other minorities intensified. She questioned whether the artistic elements of the 1936 Olympics can be separated from the atrocities that followed.
Scott Saunders, chief executive of the International March of the Living, also criticized the decision, noting that the Berlin Olympics served to legitimize the Nazi government at a time when antisemitic persecution was already underway. He warned that sport can be manipulated to normalize exclusion and hatred if historical lessons are ignored.
In response, the IOC defended the Heritage Collection, saying it celebrates 130 years of Olympic art and design and includes merchandise from all past Games. The organization acknowledged the historical issues surrounding the 1936 Olympics but noted that 4,483 athletes from 49 countries competed in 149 events, producing significant sporting achievements.
The IOC added that the historical context of the Berlin Games is addressed at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne and said the number of 1936-themed T-shirts produced was limited, which accounts for their current unavailability.
