EXPLORATION, ENCOUNTER, EXCHANGE IN HISTORY
11
Berlin 1936 Olympic Games. President of the International Olympic Committee Count
Baillet-Lat�ur standing next to Chancellor and Dictator of Germany Adolf Hitler during the
Berlin 1936 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony.
Photograph by Hoffman, Munchen, Theresiienstr. 74, Crawford Family U.S. Olympics Archives
Avery Brundage, American Olympic
Association/United States Olympic
Association Incorporated. President,
November 19, 1930 – December 1, 1953.
Crawford Family U.S. Olympics Archives
The Berlin 1936 Olympic Games proved to be momentous
for United States African-American Olympic athletes,
especially in Track and Field.
proved to be momentous for United States African-American
Olympic athletes, especially in Track and Field. The U.S.
Olympic Track and Field team that went to Berlin to compete
against the world included 10 African Americans who won
a total of seven gold, three silver, and three bronze medals.
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Among these, the most notable was Jesse Owens, who won
four gold medals in track and field events.
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Owens, the youngest of 10 children and the grandson of
slaves, not only disproved the notion of German, Aryan
supremacy but also afforded the world an opportunity to
encounter African-American Olympians in an era teeming
with racial tension. The iconic image of Owens and German
Olympian Luz Long deep in conversation during the men’s
long jump competition at the Berlin Games illustrated that
although separated by ideology, these two Olympic athletes
were connected through a love of their sport. Owens later
recounted that Long, although his strongest competitor in the
long jump and a German athlete, advised him to adjust his
run-up in the qualifying round.9 Owens made the adjustment
and went on to win the event, one of his four gold medals
during the Games, while Long took the silver medal. It is said
that after Owens’ gold medal winning jump, Long was the
first to congratulate him on his victory.
The relationship that the two formed during the Berlin
Games continued until Long’s death in World War II at
the Battle of San Pietro in 1943. However, the friendship
did not die with Long. Owens subsequently took up a
O
correspondence with Long’s son. Owens later commented,
“In this way, our relationship was preserved.”10
f course, African-American athleticism was not the only
issue that dominated the Berlin 1936 Olympic Games.
At the heart of the Berlin Games was the participation of
Jewish athletes, a separate topic that can also be effectively
addressed in this year’s NHD theme. When the IOC
awarded the 1936 Olympic Games to Berlin, Germany was
still a republic, and the IOC wished to give Germany the
opportunity to host the Games that it had lost when the
Miller, The Official History of the Olympic Games and the IOC, 116-117.
Jesse Owens (USA) won gold in the 100 meters, the 200 meters, the 4x100 meters Relay and