Nazi Games

The torch relay - that staple of Olympic pageantry - first opened the summer games in 1936 Berlin. Proposed by the Nazi Propaganda Ministry, the relay was to carry the symbolism of a new Germany across its route through south-eastern and central Europe. Soon afterwards, the Wehrmacht would march in jackboots over the same terrain. The Olympic festival was a crucial part of the Nazi regime's mobilisation of power. "Nazi Games" offers a superb blend of history and sport. The narrative includes a stirring account of the international effort to boycott the games, derailed finally by the American Olympic Committee and the determination of its head, Avery Brundage, to participate. "Nazi Games" also recounts the dazzling athletic feats of these Olympics, including Jesse Owens' four gold-medal performances and the marathon victory of the Korean runner Kitei Son, the Rising Sun of imperial Japan on his bib.