Berlin, Germany. Official Olympic sales of T-shirts featuring the poster of the 1936 Berlin Olympics have prompted controversy, with the International Olympic Committee defending the move as trademark protection. The IOC said it aims to prevent images from being used in an uncontrolled way.
Concerns linked to the Berlin Games’ historical context
The Berlin Games are widely remembered for being used as a Nazi propaganda tool under German Chancellor Adolf Hitler, symbolising ideas of Aryan racial superiority and Nazism. The event took place as forced labour was used to supply materials for construction of the Olympic stadium, while the Nazis were already filling concentration camps across Germany with homosexuals, Jews, Communists, Roma, dissidents, and other groups they targeted.
IOC response and reference to Jesse Owens
IOC spokesman Mark Adams addressed questions about the IOC-run Olympic Games online shop selling Berlin 1936 T-shirts. He said, “The first answer is we cannot rewrite history. The 1936 Games happened. We hold up what (American sprinter) Jesse Owens did, and a number of other athletes, as a great example of upholding the Olympic spirit.”
Owens, a Black sprinter, won four gold medals at the Games, challenging Nazi claims of Aryan racial superiority in front of Nazi leadership. Adams said, “We need to remember there are also some good aspects to that (Berlin Games).”
Trademark rationale and limited production
Adams said trademarks could be lost if they were not used, which could lead to images being exploited. “The validity of those trademarks depends on us exercising our rights. If we stop using the trademarks they can be taken by other people and potentially misused,” he said. “We produce a small number of those items. The main reason is to protect our copyright so they are not misused.”
Description of the T-shirt design
The T-shirt shows a man with features reminiscent of classical Greek statues wearing a laurel wreath, with Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate below and the Olympic rings above. It reads “Germany Berlin 1936 Olympic Games” and includes the event dates.
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