The Nazification of all aspects of German life extended even to sport. A staunch Nazi close to Hitler, Hans von Tschammer und Osten, headed the Reich Sports Office, which oversaw all sports bodies and clubs, including the German Olympic Committee planning the 1936 Games.
The government harnessed sport as part of its drive to strengthen the "Aryan race," to exercise political control over its citizens, and to prepare German youth for war. "Non-Aryans"--Jewish or part-Jewish and Gypsy athletes--were systematically excluded from German sports facilities and associations. They were allowed marginal training facilities, and their opportunities to compete were limited.
The magazine Das
Deutsche Mädel (The German Girl) portrays the "ideal" female Aryan
athlete. August 1935. Courtesy of John Loaring
Photograph #14943
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