page_title: Theodor Lewald
section_title: 1936 Olympics
hierarchical_section_title: Theodor Lewald / 1936 Olympics
caption_attribution_description: For documentary purposes the German Federal Archive often retained the original image captions, which may be erroneous, biased, obsolete or politically extreme. Factual corrections and alternative descriptions are encouraged separately from the original description. Additionally errors can be reported at this page to inform the Bundesarchiv. Alemannisch&#160;| Boarisch&#160;| Беларуская&#160;| Беларуская (тарашкевіца)‎&#160;| Català&#160;| Česky&#160;| Deutsch&#160;| English&#160;| Esperanto&#160;| Español&#160;| Suomi&#160;| Français&#160;| हिन्दी&#160;| Hrvatski&#160;| Magyar&#160;| Italiano&#160;| 한국어&#160;| Македонски&#160;| Plattdüütsch&#160;| Polski&#160;| Português&#160;| Română&#160;| Русский&#160;| Slovenčina&#160;| Slovenščina&#160;| Svenska&#160;| Українська&#160;| 中文（简体）&#160;| 中文（繁體）&#160;| +/− Original historic description:&#160; Berlin, Olympia-Vorbereitung Scherl Die amerikanischen Olympiakämpfer in Berlin eingetroffen Staatskommissar Dr. Lippert, Dr. Lewald und mitte der Leiter der Amerikaner, Brundage. (Photo Hoffmann) 24.Juli 1936 [Vor dem Roten Rathaus in Berlin] Abgebildete Personen: vlnr Lippert, Julius Dr.: Staatskommissar und Oberbürgermeister von Berlin, NSDAP, Journalist, Deutschland Brundage, Avery: Präsident des Internationalen Olympischen Komitees (IOC), USA (GND 118516078) Lewald, Theodor Dr.: Organisationskomitee der Olympischen Spiele, IOC, Staatssekretär, Deutschland Julius Lippert, Avery Brundage and Berlin Games organizer Theodor Lewald confer, Berlin, 1936.
context_page_description: Theodor Lewald was a civil servant in the German Reich and an executive of the International Olympic Committee. He was the President of the Olympic organising committee for the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin.
context_section_description: Lewald became a member of the International Olympic Committee in 1926, and was one of three Germans on the Committee that awarded Berlin the 1936 Summer Olympics. Lewald had previously argued for Germany to be allowed to attend the 1928 Summer Olympics, after being banned in 1920 and 1924. In November 1932, Lewald gained permission to create an independent Organising Committee for the Games, which was created in January 1933. Immediately after the Nazis won the 1933 federal election, he spoke to Joseph Goebbels about the propaganda value of the event. Lewald was later removed from his post and replaced by Hans von Tschammer und Osten as Lewald's paternal grandmother was Jewish, although Lewald himself was a Christian; the IOC demanded unsuccessfully his reinstallation to the role in a meeting of June 1933. Instead, Lewald was given a ceremonial advisory role, and he gave a formal speech at the opening of the 1936 Summer Olympics, although he also protested the treatment of German Jews during the Games. Lewald had previously assured the IOC that German Jews would not be excluded from the Games. The Olympiastadion in Berlin that was built for the Games contained an Olympic bell, which Lewald had suggested, and Lewald also suggested one of the designs for the Olympic torch, as well as getting the IOC to approve the torch route from Olympia to Berlin. After the Games, Sigfrid Edström nominated Lewald to be Vice-President of the IOC, although Lewald withdrew and resigned his IOC role in 1938 after pressure to do so from the Nazi Party.
caption: Lewald with Julius Lippert and Avery Brundage at the 1936 Summer Olympics
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