Games organizer’s Olympic oversight

Given this year’s Tokyo games had to be called off because of the COVID pandemic, you would think those sitting around at Olympic HQ might have a bit of spare time to brush up on their history. Judging by the official Olympic Twitter account, it would seem not.

Some social media whizz-kid has decided to put together an inspirational vid celebrating the 1936 Berlin Olympics, complete with archive film of the Olympiastadion and a rousing classical number.

The post noted that the Nazi-organized games were the first in which a cauldron was used for the Olympic flame.

***
Get a digital subscription to The Spectator.
Try a month free, then just $3.99 a month
***

A fascinating historical tidbit, but perhaps overshadowed by the fact that Hitler’s fascists barred German Jews from participating in the games and interned hundreds of Romani Berliners in a concentration camp.

Somewhat inevitably, the post has now been deleted…

This article was originally published on The Spectator s UK website.