page_title: List of Olympic Games scandals and controversies
section_title: 1936 Summer Olympics – Berlin, Germany
hierarchical_section_title: List of Olympic Games scandals and controversies / Summer Olympics / 1936 Summer Olympics – Berlin, Germany
context_page_description: The Olympic Games is a major international multi-sport event. During its history, both the Summer and Winter Games were a subject of many scandals, controversies, and illegal drug uses.
  Some states have boycotted the Games on various occasions, often as a sign of protest against the International Olympic Committee, often having racial discrimination or contemporary politics of other participants. After both World Wars, the losing countries were not invited. Other controversies include doping programs, decisions by referees and even gestures made by athletes.
context_section_description: In 1931 the IOC selected the German capital city Berlin as the host city of the 1936 Summer Olympics. However, following Adolf Hitler's rise to power in 1933, the plans for the Olympic Games became entangled with the politics of the Nazi regime. Adolf Hitler regarded the event as 'his' Olympics and sought to exploit the Games for propaganda purposes, with the aim of showcasing the post-First World War Germany. In 1936, a number of prominent politicians and organizations called for a boycott of the Summer Olympics, while other campaigners called for the games to be relocated.
  In 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Lithuania was not invited by Germany due to Memelland/Klaipėda region controversy. See Lithuania at the Olympics.
  The Popular Front government of Spain decided to boycott the Berlin Games entirely and, together with labour and socialist groups around the world, organized an alternative event, the People's Olympiad. The event did not take place however; just as the Games were about to begin the Spanish Civil War broke out and the People's Olympiad was cancelled.
  In the United States, there was considerable debate about boycotting the Games. A leading advocate of a boycott was U.S. athlete Ernest Lee Jahncke, the son of a German immigrant, who was an IOC member.
  International concern surrounded the ruling German National Socialists' ideology of racial superiority and its application at an international event such as the Olympics. In 1934 Avery Brundage undertook a visit to Germany to investigate the treatment of Jews.  When he returned, he reported, "I was given positive assurance in writing ... that there will be no discrimination against Jews. You can't ask more than that and I think the guarantee will be fulfilled." In the event, a number of record-holding German athletes were excluded from competing at Berlin for being racially undesirable, including Lilli Henoch, Gretel Bergmann and Wolfgang Fürstner. The only Jewish athlete to compete on the German team was fencer Helene Mayer.
  Hitler's decision not to shake hands with USA long-jump medal winner Jesse Owens has been widely interpreted as a snub of an African American; however some commentators have noted that the German Chancellor missed all medal presentations after the first day as he only wished to shake hands with German victors. Owens himself was reported to have been magnanimous when he mentioned Hitler. After the Games however, Owens was not personally honoured by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
  The Irish Olympic Council boycotted the games as the IAAF had expelled National Athletic and Cycling Association for refusing to restrict itself to the Irish Free State rather than the island of Ireland.
  In the cycling match sprint final, German Toni Merkens fouled Dutchman Arie van Vliet. Instead of disqualification, Merkens was fined 100 Reichsmarks and kept the gold medal.
  In one of the football quarter-finals, Peru beat Austria 4–2 but Austria went through in very controversial circumstances. As a sign of protest the complete Olympic delegations of Peru and Colombia left Germany. See Football at the 1936 Summer Olympics.
  French and Canadian Olympians gave what appeared to be the Nazi salute at the opening ceremony, although they may have been performing the Olympic salute, which is similar, as both are based on the Roman salute.
caption: Adolf Hitler arriving at the opening ceremony of the controversial 1936 Berlin Games
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