International Olympic Committee Sells Out Controversial 1936 Berlin and Garmisch-Partenkirchen T-Shirts Featuring Nazi Propaganda Artwork

A shirt featuring artwork from the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games, hosted under Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime, has sold out on the official Olympics online store.

Part of the IOC’s “Heritage Collection,” the T-shirts reproduce original posters from historic Games, including some that are now widely recognized as propaganda.

The collection includes a design by German artist Franz Würbel, who created the official poster for the Summer Olympics in Berlin.

The image features a laurel-crowned athlete, the Brandenburg Gate, and the iconic Olympic rings, all widely circulated by the Nazi regime to promote Aryan supremacy.

Critics have labeled this as one of the earliest examples of “sports-washing,” where a sporting event is used to polish a regime’s image.

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Winter Olympics Artwork Sparks Additional Backlash

The controversy did not stop at the Summer Games poster.

The IOC also released a T-shirt featuring artwork from the 1936 Winter Olympics, held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.

Designed by Nazi propagandist Ludwig Hohlwein, the image depicts a skier dressed in black and red, holding skis in one hand while seemingly performing a fascist salute with the other. This shirt, too, has sold out.

Jewish advocacy groups and German politicians condemned the move.

Klara Schedlich, sports policy spokesperson for the Green Party in Berlin, called the shirts “problematic and unsuitable for a T-shirt,” accusing the IOC of insufficiently reflecting on its history.

Liora Rez, founder of StopAntisemitism, described the merchandise as a “shame,” citing decades of antisemitism tied to the Olympics, including the 1972 Munich massacre of Israeli athletes.

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IOC Responds With Context and Historical Notes

In response, an IOC spokesperson told The Athletic that the shirts’ limited production contributed to their quick sellout.

The statement emphasized that the 1936 Games were not just propaganda—they were also a global sporting event. “4,483 athletes from 49 countries competed in 149 medal events,” the spokesperson said, highlighting the achievements of athletes like American sprinter Jesse Owens, whose victories challenged Hitler’s ideology of racial superiority.

Yet, historical records show that Nazi Germany dominated the Summer Olympics with 33 golds and 89 total medals, while the Winter Games saw Norway claim the most golds, winning seven.

The 1936 Olympics also foreshadowed the cancellation of subsequent Games due to World War II, including the 1940 Summer Olympics (initially Tokyo, then Helsinki) and the 1944 Games in London, as well as Winter Olympics in Sapporo (1940) and Cortina d’Ampezzo (1944).

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Why the Controversy Hits a Nerve

The release of Nazi-era imagery on merchandise taps into ongoing debates about how history should be presented and commemorated.

For many, turning a symbol of oppression and propaganda into a collectible item is deeply unsettling.

While some argue that historical context can educate, critics contend that a T-shirt is not the appropriate medium for conveying the weight of genocide, war, and the racial ideologies behind these Games.

The shirts’ popularity, despite the backlash, suggests a complex tension between historical curiosity, commercial appeal, and ethical responsibility.

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What’s Next?

The IOC may face pressure to reconsider future Heritage Collection releases, especially when they involve controversial or offensive imagery.

There could be calls for more explicit context, museum-style explanations, or disclaimers for merchandise tied to morally fraught history.

Public debates are likely to continue over how the Olympics should balance celebration of sport with the darker aspects of its past.

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Summary

The IOC’s “Heritage Collection” T-shirts featuring artwork from the 1936 Berlin and Garmisch-Partenkirchen Olympics have sold out, despite widespread condemnation.

The Summer Games shirt reproduces Nazi propaganda by Franz Würbel, while the Winter Games design depicts a skier by Ludwig Hohlwein making a fascist gesture.

Jewish advocacy groups and German politicians criticized the release, arguing it trivializes the historical atrocities tied to the Games.

The IOC defended the shirts, citing limited production and historical context, while emphasizing the athletic achievements of the 1936 Games, including Jesse Owens’ victories.

The controversy raises broader questions about how to present morally complex history in commercial formats.