Translate to English IOC defends T-shirt with controversial 1936 Olympic motif

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) sells T-shirts with motifs from past Olympic Games as part of its “Heritage Collection”. The series draws on emblems, pictograms, posters and mascots from the history of the Games and is intended to represent different eras of Olympic design. Among them was a shirt with a motif from the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games.

Criticism of IOC’s Berlin 1936 T-Shirt

The design shows a muscular athlete with a laurel wreath in front of the quadriga of the Brandenburg Gate, with the Olympic rings above. The fact that the IOC is offering a commemorative shirt for the 1936 Games has caused discussion and criticism in recent days, especially on social networks. The games in Berlin are considered to be particularly historically burdened due to their propaganda instrumentalization by the Nazi regime.

Art history and trademark protection

At the request of the editorial network Germany (RND), an IOC spokesman explained that the collection was intended to honor the approximately 130-year history of Olympic art and design. “Even though we of course recognize the historical problems associated with Nazi propaganda at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, we must also remember that 4,483 athletes from 49 countries competed in 149 medal decisions at the Games in Berlin,” said the spokesman. Many athletes have impressed the world with their sporting achievements, including the American sprinter Jesse Owens.

The IOC also justified the inclusion of the motif based on trademark law aspects. The IOC protects Olympic intellectual property from misuse. To do this, it is necessary to actively use trademark rights worldwide – including for earlier editions of the games such as Berlin 1936. Otherwise, third parties could use them for their own purposes. When asked whether there were other ways to actively use trademark rights, the IOC did not respond further.

The Olympic Heritage Collection was first introduced on June 18, 2018, when the IOC, together with Lacoste, announced the launch of the first Olympic Heritage clothing line. The IOC would like to provide the exact start date of the 1936 Edition later, but this edition has been on sale for years.

The IOC also confirmed that the shirt with the Berlin motif was only available in limited quantities and was now sold out.