1936 Berlin Olympics remembered as Nazi propaganda showcase

The 1936 Summer Olympics opened in Berlin on 1 August 1936, presided over by Adolf Hitler. They were the largest Games to date and the first to be broadcast live on television. Nazi filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl produced two documentaries, Olympia Part One and Part Two, using footage that later became iconic. Germany topped the medal table, while African‑American athlete Jesse Owens won four gold medals, challenging the regime’s narrative of Aryan supremacy. Plans to boycott the Games failed, and the event was later described as a massive propaganda coup for the Nazis.

In 2026, Channel 4 will air a colour‑restored documentary titled “Hitler’s Games: Berlin 1936 In Colour”, featuring newly digitised film and commentary from historians. The programme highlights the lasting debate over how authoritarian regimes use international sport to improve their global image, a practice now termed “sportswashing”.