Olympic Cavalcade

CHAPTER XV Xlth OLYMPIC GAMES, BERLIN, 1936 FROM Los Angeles in 1932 the Olympic Torch passed on to Berlin for the Celebration of the XIth Olympiad in 1936. With Germany now a totalitarian state, and the will of one man therefore .supreme, we expected that this Festival would be, perhaps, the greatest that had been witnessed since the revival of the Games at Athens in 1896. In the years between, Germany had made great forward strides in sport, thanks largely to the prodigal layout and-lavish equipment, with first-class coaching provided, of sports stadia throughout the Reich. Furthermore, World's records had for some time been rising or trembling in the balance, and we knew that no effort would be spared to ensure the falling of the trembling records at Berlin if human ingenuity could make such a thing possible. · The Lord Portal, D .S.O., M.V.O., was at that time Chairman of the Council of the British Olympic Association, of which subsequently he became President. · The members of the International Olympic Committee were Lord Aberdare, Lord Burghley, later appointed Commandant of the team which went to Berlin, and Sir Noel Curtis Bennett, K.C.V.O. The Secretary was Col. Evan A. Hunter, O.B.E. For the Summer Games at Berlin Great Britain selected approximately 218 competitors and upwards of 100 officials in all branches of sport. Meanwhile, Berlin was in a state of organized uproar. On 13 May, 1931, Count Baillet-Latour, as President of the LO.C., had officially awarded the Olympic Games of 1936 to Berlin, a matter ofgreat jubilation, not only to the German Olympic Committee but to the whole country. Thereafter the Organizing Committee was created under the German Olympic Committee to co-operate with the City of Berlin to ensure the success of the Games. Further, Germany made use of her prerogative to request the allotment of the Olympic Winter Games. These were held subsequently at Garmische Partenkirchen. Meanwhile, the Olympic architect, Werner March, was getting out plans and models of the Olympic Stadium for inclusion in the German Architectural Exhibition. Without the assistance of the German Government and public su~scribers it would not have been possible for Germany to send an Olymptc team to the Games in 1932 nor to undertake the presentation of the Celebra· tions of the Xlth Olympiad in 1936. In those early days Germany estimated 196