1936 Winter Olympics

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Template:Short description Template:No footnotes Template:Infobox Olympic games The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games (Template:Langx) and commonly known as Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936, were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 16 February 1936 in the market town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. Later that year, the country also hosted the 1936 Summer Olympics, which were held in Berlin. It was the last year in which the Summer and Winter Games both took place in the same country (the cancelled 1940 Olympics would have been held in Japan, with Tokyo hosting the Summer Games and Sapporo hosting the Winter Games).

The 1936 Winter Games were organized on behalf of the German League of the Reich for Physical Exercise (DRL) by Karl Ritter von Halt, who had been named president of the committee for the organization of the Fourth Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen by Reichssportführer Hans von Tschammer und Osten.

Organization and politics

While the 1936 Summer Olympics held in Berlin months later have attracted extensive examination for the Nazi Party's spectacles and the accompanying racial controversies, including the exclusion of most Jewish athletes and Jesse Owens's achievements, the Winter Games took place five months earlier and saw some of the same efforts by Adolf Hitler's propaganda machine.

Winter sports were only accepted by the Nazi Party because the Italian dictator Mussolini promoted skiing. The middle class was encouraged to visit ski resorts. In 1936 more than 550,000 winter sports tourists visited Italy.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Stylish skiing with Aryan looks was graphic designed by the propaganda artist Ludwig Hohlwein.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Globally, there had been efforts to initiate boycotts from different countries, and a number of Jewish athletes faced pressure not to participate in an event held in a nation ruled by a blatantly antisemitic regime.<ref>Marsha Lederman, "A Glimpse of Canada at the 1936 Nazi Games," The Globe and Mail, October 13, 2009</ref>

The Nazis took steps to soften the appearance of their harsher policies before visitors from other nations arrived, such as removing antisemitic signage that was common in Germany, and – under pressure from a potential American boycott and Olympic officials – allowing the Jewish athlete Rudi Ball to play on Germany's ice hockey team.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> German troops moved back into the demilitarized Rhineland for the Winter Games.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A few weeks before the Games began, William L. Shirer, the Berlin correspondent for the Universal wire service, wrote a series of articles describing preparations for the competition. He concluded, "that the Nazis at Garmisch had pulled down all the signs saying that Jews are unwanted (they're all over Germany) and that the Olympic visitors would thus be spared any signs of the kind of treatment meted out to Jews in this country."<ref>William L. Shirer, Berlin Diary, ©1941 reprinted 2011 by Rosetta Books, entry for January 23, 1936</ref>

Opening Ceremony with Rudolf Hess, IOC president Henri de Baillet-Latour, and Adolf Hitler

None of the member nations boycotted the Winter Games, and 49 in all participated, the greatest number at that time.<ref name="A Glimpse of Canada at the 1936 Nazi Games">Lederman, "A Glimpse of Canada at the 1936 Nazi Games"</ref> The Games were completed with a minimum of political controversy, although the Canadian skiing team raised their arms in what appeared to be a Nazi salute as they entered the opening ceremonies.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The German crowd erupted in applause at the salute, which was later explained as the "Olympic Salute" that was identical to the Nazi version but with the arm extended laterally instead of forward.<ref name="A Glimpse of Canada at the 1936 Nazi Games" />

However, even Shirer was impressed by the effectiveness of the Nazis' efforts, writing:

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Twelve days after the Games closed, Hitler sent German troops to remilitarize the Rhineland, his first territorial violation of the Treaty of Versailles and a critical test of European resolve to resist Germany's military expansion. None of the Western powers lifted a finger and Europe's first steps towards World War Two were taken.

Highlights

Sports

Medals were awarded in 17 events contested in four sports (eight disciplines).

Demonstration sports

Venues

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  • Große Olympiaschanze – Cross-country skiing, Nordic combined, Opening and Closing Ceremonies, and Ski Jumping.
  • Gudiberg – Alpine skiing (combined – slalom)
  • Kreuzjoch – Alpine skiing (combined – downhill)
  • Kreuzeck – Alpine skiing (downhill finish line)
  • Olympia-Kunsteisstadion – Figure skating and Ice hockey
  • Riessersee and surrounding areas – Bobsleigh, Ice hockey, and Speed skating

Participating nations

A total of 28 nations sent athletes to compete in Germany. Australia, Bulgaria, Greece, Liechtenstein, Spain and Turkey all made their Winter Olympics debut, and Estonia, Latvia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Yugoslavia returned after having missed the 1932 Winter Olympics.

Participating National Olympic Committees

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Number of athletes by National Olympic Committee (from highest to lowest)

Medal count

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Norwegian figure skater Sonja Henie

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Podium sweeps

Date Sport Event NOC Gold Silver Bronze
13 February Nordic combined Individual Template:FlagIOC Oddbjørn Hagen Olaf Hoffsbakken Sverre Brodahl
15 February Cross-country skiing Men's 50 kilometre Template:FlagIOC Elis Wiklund Axel Wikström Nils-Joel Englund

See also

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References

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Further reading

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