The official Olympic online store has come under criticism in Germany for selling a T-shirt featuring artwork from the controversial 1936 Berlin Olympic Games, an event widely associated with Nazi propaganda under Adolf Hitler.
The cream-coloured “Berlin 1936” shirt displays a male figure wearing a laurel wreath with the Olympic rings above his head. Beneath the figure is the Brandenburg Gate and the words “Germany Berlin 1936 Olympic Games.”
The design is based on the original poster created by German artist Franz Würbel.
The shirt, which is currently out of stock, is part of the International Olympic Committee’s Heritage Collection, a line that features designs from different editions of the Olympic Games.
However, the product has sparked backlash in Germany, with some politicians calling for its removal.
Klara Schedlich, sports policy spokesperson for the Green Party in the Berlin House of Representatives, described the item as inappropriate.
“The 1936 Olympic Games were a central propaganda tool of the Nazi regime,” she said, accusing the IOC of failing to reflect adequately on its own history. She added that the imagery was problematic and unsuitable for casual merchandise without proper context.
In response, the IOC defended the collection, saying it acknowledges the troubling history of the Berlin Games while also recognising the athletic achievements of the event.
According to the committee, the 1936 Olympics featured 4,483 athletes from 49 countries competing in 149 medal events.
It noted that several competitors made history, including American track star Jesse Owens, who won four gold medals and dealt a major blow to Nazi claims of Aryan racial superiority.
The IOC said the Heritage Collection is meant to celebrate 130 years of Olympic art and design, with posters, emblems, and mascots from various Games.
It added that the historical context of the 1936 Olympics is fully explained at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, and that only a limited number of the T-shirts were produced.
