Exhibition Explores Controversial 1936 Nazi Olympics
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 18, 2001
Joe Wills
530-898-4143
Exhibition Explores Controversial 1936 Nazi Olympics
The horrors of Nazi propaganda and the controversy surrounding it will be on display this month as the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s NAZI OLYMPICS Berlin 1936 exhibition opens on the California State University, Chico campus Tuesday, Jan. 30.
CSU, Chico is the first college campus in the country to host the exhibition, which will be installed at the university’s Colusa Hall through March 29. Colusa Hall is located just north of Trinity Hall next to the university rose garden.
Exhibition hours will be Tuesday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Wednesday through Friday, 10 a.m. -5 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; closed Sunday and Monday. The exhibition is free and open to the public. Docent-led tours will be available.
On the eve of World War II, Adolf Hitler saw the 1936 Olympic Games as an opportunity to promote myths of a peaceful Germany and Aryan racial superiority. But nations around the world witnessed mounting militarization and repression in Germany.
Questions about the 1936 Games abounded: Would German nationalism conflict with the international Olympic spirit? Would it be hypocritical for the United States to protest the Games in light of the racism African-American athletes faced in “Jim Crow” America?
Fierce debates broke out around the world regarding moving the Olympic site, or boycotting the Games if based in Berlin. Ultimately, the Berlin Games were held, but the spectacle was punctuated by events such as the exclusion of Jewish athletes and the success of many African-American athletes.
NAZI OLYMPICS Berlin 1936 was created to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Berlin Games and the centennial of the modern Olympics. Its opening at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., coincided with the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
The exhibition uses reproductions of photographs, documents, posters and newspaper articles as well as video and film footage to tell many stories related to the Nazi Olympics:
The Nazification of German sport, the exclusion of Jews from sporting clubs and the use of athletics to militarize German youth.
The U.S. boycott debate that led to the first dismissal of an International Olympic Committee member in history, because of his strong opposition to the Berlin venue.
The tremendous success of Jesse Owens, Ralph Metcalfe and other African-American athletes in the face of Nazi pronouncements about Aryan superiority.
The Nazi banning of Gretel Bergmann (now Margaret Lambert), a star German-Jewish track athlete prevented from competing.
The controversy surrounding American Jewish sprinters Marty Glickman and Sam Stoller, who were removed from the 4×100-meter relay team just hours prior to the race.
Hitler’s plan that after the Tokyo Games in 1940, all future Olympics be held in a Nuremberg stadium to be designed by his architect Albert Speer.
NAZI OLYMPICS Berlin 1936 is supported in part by funding from the City of Chico, CSU, Chico, the CSUC Modern Jewish and Israel Studies Program, Associated Students, the Chico Area Interfaith Council, and Building Bridges, CSU, ChicoÕs series of events designed to increase tolerance and respect on campus and within the Chico community.
For more information or group reservations for exhibition tours, call (530) 898-5749, or write to: bbrautigam@csuchico.edu
Media Advisory: There will be a media tour of the exhibition on Friday, Feb. 2, at 9 a.m. A representative of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum will be present to answer questions about the exhibition.
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