Nazi Olympics exhibit opens in Vancouver
 

A controversial exhibit has opened in Vancouver, depicting the Canadian team at one of the most controversial Olympics ever — the 1936 Summer Games in Berlin, staged by the German Nazi regime of Adolf Hitler.

The exhibit of photographs, documents and artifacts, which opened Thursday at the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre, shows how Hitler's Third Reich turned the Games into a showcase for Nazi propaganda, and how Canadians became part of the spectacle.

"These games represent the first point of contact between Canada and Nazi Germany," exhibit curator Frieda Miller told CBC News Thursday.

Photos show swastikas and Nazi banners flying alongside the five iconic Olympic rings.

A display case features the sash worn by Canadian athletes during the opening and closing ceremonies, adorned with a black swastika.

"[The sash] does seem striking, especially since it was carried with the Canadian flag," said Miller.
Two other photographs stirred up controversy at the time, and still could today. One features Canadian athletes clamouring for Hitler's autograph; another shows members of Canada's team apparently giving a straight-armed Nazi salute.

But it was actually an Olympic Salute, according to Joan Langdon, a 13-year-old swimmer at the time, and one of the athletes from Canada's 1936 team who marched past Hitler at the opening ceremonies.

"The Nazis' were this way," Langdon said holding her arm up in front of her.

"And we were this way," she said holding her arm up to the side, almost as if waving.

"I didn't realize the political aspect of it all," she said.

The exhibit runs until June 2010.
http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/news/ph...tes-hitler.jpg
http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/news/ph...h-swastika.jpg
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-col...c-exhibit.html

contro what? fuck that, it's not like the exhibition is SUPPORTING nazi's, it's an educational thing. I didn't know that, I learnt something. It's actually kinda cool in a whoa that's fucked up, haha we kicked their asses later.

Is it really necessary to disregard everything relating to the Nazis in anyway because of the holocaust?

i think thats way too extreme

HEIL MEIN FUHRER!!!!!!!!!

How the fuck is this controversial? The 36 olympics were incredibly fascinating. I saw a short documentary about it, and it was very interesting to see them use the olympics to basically flex their muscles to the world. It kind of reminded me of a more recent event...

I wish I could see the exhibit

I wonder if Canada took part in the ceremonial burning of the Jew

hahaha so true.

Similarly...

http://www.thelocal.de/articleImages/22615.jpg

hahahaha! :haha:

At that point in history the swastika meant alot less then it did post 1945

the best part of those games is when Jesse Owens owned the nazis ;)

Sounds pretty cool. I would definitely check this out.

I was there Thursday night for the opening and it was good. There are personal stories there that make it even more interesting.

The speeches were the best though.

it's not a Nazi exhibit, it's an exhibit with Nazi in it

I just watched Pianist again a week ago too......it's hard to believe something like this really did happen in the past....

What are you basing this on? It was used in many different ways all over the world pre-1945

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika

here's is a question for you all:

what is the difference between British Imperialism and Nazism?

go read a history book you fucking moron

:facepalm:

okay for you fags who are ignorant:

British Imperialism land Nazism stemmed from basically the same principles,which was.. they thought they were better than others. And yet, anything that is a monument to British imperialism is accepted by mainstream society and is not controversial....

...well unless you are First Nations.

this thread turned stupid really fast

lol because the symbol was directly related to the SS, nazi death camps, WW2 destruction, etc. after 1945? it was not a part of german culture nor a symbol of the nazi regime until hitler took power which was after WW1 but before the Olympics were held in Berlin.

The use of the swastika as it's quoted by Wikipedia is incorrect because all the use in Hinduism etc. is not the same symbol, the Hindu sign is rotated

Was the world not completely aware of what the Nazi's were doing during the Olympics? I think I remember from Socials 11 that they hid their evilness quite well.

Isn't it just flipped?

I thought it was a Buddhist symbol, but it looks like it was a symbol for all kinds of religions and beliefs. Hitler was not only a nutcase, he was also dyslexic. LOL.