Outrage at Olympic ‘Nazi propaganda’

A German politician has blasted the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for selling a T‑shirt commemorating the 1936 Berlin Summer Games, calling it “Nazi propaganda.”

The Nazi regime under Adolf Hitler used the sports competitions as a propaganda showcase, including the first-ever Olympic torch relay and television broadcasts. Despite the tainted legacy, official merchandise marking both the 1936 Summer and Winter Olympics has long been available.

Klara Schedlich, a Berlin state lawmaker from the Alliance 90/The Greens party, denounced the IOC in a Facebook post onTuesday. “It absolutely had to be about the Nazi propaganda Games, right?” the 26-year-old wrote. “This shows that the IOC has absolutely no understanding of history. And it’s unacceptable that Berlin is bidding to host the Games again for the 100th anniversary.”

The T‑shirt depicts a male figure with a laurel wreath above the Brandenburg Gate quadriga and the Olympic rings – no Nazi imagery appears.

The IOC defended the merchandise, telling German media the Olympic movement should not forget that “in Berlin, 4,483 athletes from 49 countries competed for medals in 149 events.” It noted the 1936 Games’ historical context is covered at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne.