Was Jesse Owens snubbed by Hitler at the Berlin Olympics?

In the world of track and field, Jesse Owens is one of the most prolific Olympians in American history. The sprinter won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

Since Adolf Hitler was the dictator of Germany at the time, there is a famous controversy stating that he snubbed Owens after he won his first gold medal. This article traces back to the time and analyzes whether the rumor is at all true.

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Controversy between Jesse Owens and Adolf Hitler in the aftermath of the 1936 Berlin Olympics

Hitler’s injustices and ideologies around pan-Germanic expansionism and anti-Semitism were widely recognized when the Olympics were scheduled to be held in Germany. This made the president of the United States Olympic Committee, Avery Brundage, hesitant to send American athletes to participate in the event.

However, after analyzing that the Jewish athletes were treated fairly by the German government, the Amateur Athletic Union gave a green signal to send 18 players in December 1935. The Olympic Games were finally held in Berlin in August 1936.

Jesse Owens was one of the most successful athletes that year with four gold medals to his name. He also became the first American sportsperson to do so. Owens won in the following categories:

• 100 Metres
• 200 Metres
• 4x100 Metres Relay
• Long Jump

With regards to his performance, the athlete said:

"I let my feet spend as little time on the ground as possible. From the air, fast down, and from the ground, fast up."

The controversy over Hitler snubbing Owens came up after the Nazi supremacist didn't shake hands with the athlete after he won gold. This happened after the conclusion of the first day of the Olympic Games.

However, it is worth noting that the German autocrat didn't shake hands with any of the medallists that day. His departure from the stadium right before the decoration of another American athlete, Cornelius Johnson, was also considered outrageous by many. A Nazi spokesperson later tried to clear the air and said that Hitler had a pre-determined appointment because of which he had to leave early.

When Jesse Owens won another gold medal the next day, Hitler neither met nor shook hands with him. However, Paul Gallico, an author and sports reporter, said:

“[Owens] led below the honor box, where he smiled and bowed, and Herr Hitler gave him a friendly little Nazi salute, the sitting down one with the arm bent.”

Jesse Owens himself later clarified that the above was true. However, the American sprinter did express his discontent when it came to injustice committed by another political leader. This time, it was the former president of the United States of America, Franklin D. Roosevelt.

The Olympian stated:

“Hitler didn’t snub me—it was [Roosevelt] who snubbed me. The president didn’t even send me a telegram.”

Roosevelt did not acknowledge any of the eighteen African American athletes who took part in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. However, the other Olympians were invited to the White House.

After eighty long years, US president, Barack Obama, invited the relatives of the African American athletes to celebrate their achievements.