The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has come under fire after its official online shop launched an “Olympic Heritage Collection” featuring merchandise inspired by past Games.
That included a T-shirt commemorating the notoriously propagandistic 1936 Berlin Olympics.
Despite drawing sharp criticism in Germany and beyond, the 1936 Berlin Olympics version rapidly sold out.
The item in question, a men’s natural cotton T-shirt, reproduces elements of the original 1936 poster by Franz Würbel: An athlete crowned with a laurel wreath, the Brandenburg Gate two-wheeled chariot, Olympic rings and the title “Germany Berlin 1936 Olympic Games”.
Launched as part of a broader line celebrating 130 years of Olympic art and design encompassing emblems, pictograms, posters and mascots from every modern edition, the shirt sold out within hours, coinciding with the ongoing Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
German media outlets highlighted the sensitivity of marketing goods tied to an event Adolf Hitler exploited as a showcase for Nazi ideology and alleged Aryan superiority.
Calls have emerged for the IOC to halt sales of the Berlin item, with critics arguing it risks normalising or trivialising the regime’s use of the Games.
An IOC spokesperson, though, defended the collection, stressing it honours the sporting achievements of the Games rather than any political regime.
“We of course acknowledge the historical issues of Nazi propaganda associated with the 1936 Olympics in Berlin,” the spokesperson continued, “but it is also important to remember that 4,483 athletes from 49 countries competed in 149 medal events — many of them, including Jesse Owens, stunning the world with their performances.”
The organisation noted that historical context, including the regime’s exploitation of the event, is addressed at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne and emphasised that only a limited run of the Berlin shirts was produced.
Wieder mal wird ein Skandal erfunden, wo gar keiner ist: Das IOC hat im Shop T-Shirts mit historischen Motiven, darunter auch eines zu den Olymischen Spielen 1936 in Berlin, als Teil einer Serie von diversen anderen Olympiaden. Es ist auch nicht so, dass dort Nazi-Insignien oder… pic.twitter.com/o1e7U20f8i
— Peter Borbe (@PeterBorbe) February 12, 2026
