79 Berlin Olympics 1936 Facts That Every Sports Lover Should Know

The 1936 Olympics in Berlin were called the Games of the XI Olympiad and were commonly called the 1936 Summer Olympics.

It was a sports event that was organized between August 1 and August 16 in Berlin, Germany. On April 26, 1931, the 29th session of the IOC Session was won by Berlin to organize the Olympic games against Barcelona.

The International Olympic Committee met in 1936 for the second time, and again the vote was conducted in the same city, Berlin, Germany. Subsequent regulatory changes prohibited towns that hosted the candidacy voting from receiving the Olympics.

To beat the Los Angeles Games of 1932, Reich Chancellor, Adolf Hitler, ordered the construction of a massive field stadium with one million seats for the spectators and a big track for the athletes.

Not only this but there were also six fitness facilities and many various minor venues.

It was also the first Olympics with a live broadcast that almost got directed to the 41 nations. The German Olympic Committee paid almost $7 million to shoot the games with Leni Riefenstahl, a filmmaker.

'Olympia', her film, was a forerunner in many of the techniques now used in Olympic filmmaking. Hitler believed that the Olympics of 1936 would give him and his government the opportunity to promote themselves in front of the world.

He was unsuccessful in not allowing Black and Jewish people in the games, as this was retaliated against by many countries.

Introduction To The Berlin Olympics

The Berlin Olympic Games were heavily influenced by Roman and Greek customs, which later became part of National Socialist ideology, which attempted to depict the true successor to the glories of the early civilizations.

There were many facilities set up for the public to watch the 1936 Olympics in Berlin and nearby Potsdam. Several people were able to watch the white and black transmission of the various disciplines.

The live broadcast lasted around 72 hours, which was not up to modern standards. The 1936 Olympic Games emphasized becoming the first Olympics to incorporate video to show the world their supremacy of technology from Germany.

The idea of carrying the Olympic torch from Greece to Berlin's Olympic Stadium was novel to Germany's Olympic chief, Dr. Carl Diem. Over 3000 runners ran from Greece to Germany, covering areas of Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and Bulgaria.

Medals Won At The Berlin Olympics

Jesse Owens, an American athlete, won four gold medals at the Berlin Olympics.

The German athletes wore the Adolf 'Adi' Dassler leather shoes made especially for them, including Jesse Owens, the American athlete. These shoes went on to become the foundation for the international brand, Adidas.

He won four gold medals at the Olympic Games of 1936. He won gold medals in each of the following: long jump, 4 x 100 m relay race, 100 m race, and the 200 m race.

Jesse Owens set world records in 45 minutes in the 1935 Big Ten Championships, although he had a damaged spine that stopped him from leaning over. After receiving each gold medal, when he returned to America, he struggled for money. He worked more on his long jump.

In total, 89 medals were won by Germany, out of which 33 were gold, 26 were silver, and 30 were bronze.

In total, 2,000 athletes participated in the Olympics held in Berlin in 1936. Globally, 32 countries competed, winning a total of 130 gold medals, 128 silver medals, and 130 bronze medals. Although Germany won most of the medals, the United States of America won the second most medals with a total of 56.

Jack Lovelock is believed to be the first athlete to win a gold medal for New Zealand; he won the 1500 m race.

Importance Of The Berlin Olympics

In 1936 the Summer Olympic games held in Berlin's Olympic village were of great importance. There were many political upsurges before the game started in Berlin, 1936.

During the 1936 summer Olympics, Germany was under the rule of the Third Reich, led by Adolf Hitler. Prior to the games starting, the nazis tried to set their own Olympic rules.

Hitler thought through these games he would promote and encourage this government along with ethnic superiority principles. One of the German newspapers clearly stated that Jewish athletes, along with Black people, were not allowed to play in the games.

When other countries, along with the International Olympic Committee and the American Olympic Committee, came to know about this rule, Hitler retaliated by declining to play the games. Later, Helene Mayer, a Jewish athlete, joined the German Olympic team, and all the hate banners were taken down by the German sports committee.

The German Ministry of the Interior ordered the head of police to imprison all the Romani in the Berlin-Marzahn concentration camp.

Thus, after 1936, this Olympic salute ritual at the opening ceremony was removed from the Olympic games. In 1936, the host city or venue for the Olympics was selected prior to Hitler being in charge of Germany in 1931 when the Weimar Republic was there.

When Hitler became the head and took power in 1933 under the Nazi flag, many controversies were raised in regard to changing the host city.

However, the revolts going around worldwide were not successful and almost 49 nations, including the German team, were part of the 1936 Olympics. Also, the Olympic torch made the 1936 Summer Olympics unique in its own right. The Olympic Flame was taken from Greece where the Olympics started.

Sports Played At The Berlin Olympics

The 1936 Berlin Olympic Games were organized in Berlin, Germany when Hitler was the ruler. There were 19 different sports being played, with an increase in comparison to 1932 games.

Some games added to the sports program were basketball, canoeing, and handball. The games which were played during the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin were football, fencing, cycling, boxing, athletics, handball, polo, sailing, weightlifting, water polo, swimming, and diving; basketball, canoeing, equestrian, field hockey, gymnastics, modern pentathlon, rowing, shooting, and wrestling in freestyle or Greco-Roman style.