XI. letní olympijské hry v Berlíně, jejich reflexe českou veřejností a ve sportovní sbírce Národního muzea
| Stránky | 77–95 |
|---|---|
| DOI | 10.37520/amnph.2026.005 |
| Klíčová slova | Olympic Games (Olympics), Little Entente, Germany, Czechoslovakia, politics |
| Typ článku | Recenzovaný článek |
| Citace | LOMÍČEK, Jan. XI. letní olympijské hry v Berlíně, jejich reflexe českou veřejností a ve sportovní sbírce Národního muzea. Acta Musei Nationalis Pragae – Historia. Praha: Národní muzeum, 2026, 80(1-2), 77–95. DOI: https://doi.org/10.37520/amnph.2026.005. ISSN 2570-6845 (print), 2570-6853 (online). Dostupné také z: https://publikace.nm.cz/periodicke-publikace/acta-musei-nationalis-pragae-historia/80-1-2/xi-letni-olympijske-hry-v-berline-jejich-reflexe-ceskou-verejnosti-a-ve-sportovni-sbirce-narodniho-muzea |
In 1936, the XI Summer Olympic Games (officially the Games of the X Olympiad) took place in Berlin, the capital of Nazi Germany. Due to the location, the games aroused strong emotions and controversies among the global public across continents. On the one hand, the Berlin Olympics, like many other Olympic Games, were a landmark sporting and social event. They attracted unprecedented attention, growing media coverage using the latest technical means, and in many ways new approaches, whether in terms of organisation, construction of sports facilities and infrastructure, or propaganda (both political and, in today’s terms, commercial, i.e., marketing). Germany spent considerable resources, both financial and human, on hosting the Games in order to prove that the regime at the time was at the forefront of the world order.
On the other hand, the very nature of the Nazi regime ruling Germany since 1933 provoked resistance or at least concerns among many groups of the global public. Hitler’s Germany, however, tried to organise the Olympics in such a way as to rehabilitate to a certain extent the National Socialist government, attempting to cover up controversies related to racial policy, and, conversely, emphasising the achievements of German sport and the organisational and economic strength of German society, not only at the sports venues as such, but also in their wider setting. However, this was not always successful.
As in many other countries, platforms emerged in interwar Czechoslovakia that approached the Olympics in Nazi Germany according to their a priori perception of National Socialism. This reflection was partly based on their overall worldview and political convictions. Among the outspoken opponents of the Games were mainly supporters of left-wing ideas. However, even in political groups with views closer to the centre of the political spectrum, there were numerous discussions because Nazism at that time and later was not only a controversial political orientation with respect to the traditional political spectrum, but also with respect to its racist tendencies. Anti-Semitism was a relatively traditional platform of opinion in many societies around the world at that time, despite their seemingly progressive views. However, the state-sponsored political violence against the political opposition and national, religious, or political minorities provoked repeated and targeted political campaigns among the global public, and the upcoming Olympic Games represented one of the most controversial platforms of conflict in this respect.