• Berlin 1936

Berlin 1936 - Quick Hits

Jesse Owens competes in the long jump © Getty Images

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Taking a dip
At the end of the women's 4x100-metre relay, the coach of the Dutch swimming team was so overjoyed at having won that she jumped into the water to congratulate her swimmers. The only problem was that she had to be helped out, as she began to slip under the surface.

The hand of friendship
During the qualification heats in the long jump, American Jesse Owens, who had missed all his previous attempts, was offered some advice by German rival Lutz Long. Owens went on to defeat Long in a tense encounter, and the two men developed a strong friendship following the Games.

March
The Hitler Youth led the procession that opened the Games, marching to the rhythm of the "Tannhauser" opera. The German hymn was followed by "Horst-Wessel-Lied," the war song of the National Socialist party, which would be played 480 times during the Games.

Television premiere
The Games were televised live for the first time, reaching the homes of 160,000 Berlin residents.

Laws
A short time before the Games, Adolf Hitler's government announced a series of laws further demonstrating its xenophobia and anti-Semitism.

Not so secret police
The Gestapo were ever-present in Berlin and the Olympic Village. A pamphlet was distributed explaining that the heavy deployment of troops was necessary to provide security for the Berlin Games and to promote the new image of Germany to its guests.

Rules are rules
The president of the International Olympic Committee reprimanded Hitler for his breach of Olympic protocol when he failed to resist from congratulating German shot putter Hans Woellke, who became the Olympic champion. Before his event, Woellke was simply a soldier, but following his win, the German colossus was promoted to lieutenant.

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