U.S. News
IOC Faces Criticism Over Berlin Olympics Shirt
Clear Facts
- The International Olympic Committee (IOC) sold out a limited-edition T-shirt featuring the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games poster, a design originally used as Nazi propaganda.
- StopAntisemitism founder Liora Rez and Holocaust documentary director Yoav Potash both publicly condemned the IOC’s decision, calling it a shame and an affront to human decency.
- The IOC acknowledged the historical controversy but stated the shirts are part of its Heritage Collection and only a limited number were produced and sold.
The IOC has drawn scrutiny after offering for sale a limited-edition T-shirt with imagery from the 1936 Berlin Olympics, widely recognized for its Nazi propaganda origins.
Liora Rez, founder of StopAntisemitism, labeled the decision a “shame” and criticized the IOC for a history of failing to address antisemitism at the Games.
“The Olympics have been a staging ground for antisemitism for decades,” Rez told Fox News Digital on Friday.
Rez noted an incident at the 2026 Olympics store where an employee shouted political slogans at Israeli fans.
She added, “Possibly more disgraceful, on the official Olympic online shop as part of the ‘heritage collection,’ the IOC is selling T-shirts commemorating and reproducing imagery tied to the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games, held under Adolf Hitler’s racist Nazi dictatorship. This is the heritage the IOC wants to celebrate? Shame on the International Olympic Committee for this latest outrage. No medals for this pathetic performance.”
The IOC responded by saying it acknowledges the historical issues related to Nazi propaganda during the Berlin Games but also emphasized the athletic achievements at the event, including those of Jesse Owens.
“The historical context of these Games is further explained at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne,” the IOC stated. “For the 1936 edition, the number of T-shirts produced and sold by the IOC is limited, which is why they are currently sold out.”
Yoav Potash, director of the Holocaust documentary “Among Neighbors,” strongly condemned the shirt by stating, “To say that the IOC’s sale of these shirts is in poor taste would be a gross understatement.”
He added, “And we know that, within a few years of those games, Nazi Germany carried out a massive, industrialized genocide, killing millions of people in an effort to further the fantasy of Aryan superiority. To ignore all of that and sell t-shirts commemorating the 1936 Olympics in Berlin is a sickening affront to human decency and our collective ability to learn from history.”
The T-shirts are part of the IOC’s Heritage Collection which features designs from past Olympic Games.
The official Olympic website describes the Heritage Collection as a celebration of the art and design from each Olympic era and locations across history.
Stay informed on issues that matter to traditional American values and let your voice be heard.
Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
