1936 Winter Olympics

The 1936 Winter Olympic Games, officially the IV Olympic Winter Games, were held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Nazi Germany, from 6 to 16 February 1936. The Nazis, who had previously despised the Olympic ideal, organised an excellent Games at impressive venues. Before coming to power, Hitler had looked down on the Olympic movement, but Goebbels later persuaded him that it could serve as an outstanding propaganda tool. One of the main purposes of the Winter Games was to convince an international public suspicious of the Nazi regime that everything would be in order for the Summer Olympics, since there had been discussion of a boycott by several countries because of the anti-Jewish laws. Old facilities were replaced throughout the area. Stands with 40,000 seats were built around the ski jump, with an overall capacity of 60,000. The opening and closing ceremonies were held there, while 80,000 people watched the ski jumping, with 50,000 left outside the stadium. The frozen Riessersee was used for ice hockey and speed skating. The ice stadium had seating for 2,000 but could accommodate as many as 10,000 spectators. The Nazis took great care to present an immaculate image of the country and to ensure that visitors saw nothing of the increasingly institutionalised antisemitism. For example, signs excluding Jews from certain places were removed in the area. 

Hungary was represented at the 1936 Winter Olympics by its largest team up to that time, with 25 competitors in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The best result came from the pair skaters Emília Rotter, László Szollás , who once again won a bronze medal after their 1932 success. Despite arriving at the Olympics with three world championship titles, they were beaten by the German and Austrian pairs.

Another notable event was Canada’s first Olympic defeat in ice hockey, made all the more painful because the gold medal went to the British team, composed entirely of Canadians. Hitler’s favourite, the Norwegian Sonja Henie, won the women’s figure skating title for the third time under somewhat controversial circumstances. The Games were also remembered for spectacular crashes in the bobsleigh competitions. Contemporary newsreel reports can be viewed at the end of the article. 

The German postal administration also issued a three-stamp commemorative set for the Games: 

 

Contemporary newsreels