IOC in hot water over sale of ‘heritage collection’ merchandise

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is currently facing backlash for selling a 1936 Berlin Olympics T-shirt as part of its official “Heritage Collection.” The criticism stems from the fact that the 1936 Games are inseparable from their historical role as a massive propaganda tool for Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime.ioc

Critics, including German media and political groups like the local Greens in Berlin, argue that the T-shirt treats the 1936 Games as just another “vintage” sports event. In reality, the 1936 Games were used by Joseph Goebbels and the Nazi party to project an image of a peaceful, prosperous, and “Aryan-superior” Germany to the world, while the regime was simultaneously building concentration camps and stripping Jews of their rights.

The t-shirt design has been criticized for using artwork that echoes the fascist aesthetic of the era and includes the Brandenburg Gate which is a central symbol of Berlin and was often used in Nazi processions.

The imagery also includes a laurel-wreathed athlete which is an idealized figure that critics say resembles the “Aryan” archetypes promoted in 1930s German propaganda.

Lawmakers have pointed out that selling these images on a t-shirt without any critical historical context effectively “sanitizes” the history of the regime that hosted them.

Historical sensitivity

The controversy has gained traction during the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, with the shirt reportedly selling out in the IOC’s online shop within hours. Critics find it tone-deaf for the IOC to profit from the branding of the “Nazi Olympics” while the world is focused on modern Olympic values of peace and unity.

The IOC has responded to the criticism by acknowledging the “historical issues” of the 1936 Games but defending the product on two fronts as they claim the shirt is meant to commemorate the 4,483 athletes from 49 countries who competed, rather than the regime itself.

They also argue the “Heritage Collection” is a historical archive of all modern Games.

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