The exhibition was opened by the Mayor of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Thomas Schmid, as the region prepares to welcome the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Evaluation Commission from March 1.

The Evaluation Commission will review Munich's bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2018, which includes the proposed use of the 1936 Olympic Ski Stadium.

The 1936 Winter Olympics were opened by Chancellor Adolf Hitler.

Although not as politically charged as the 1936 Summer Games in Berlin, the event was manipulated by the Nazi regime, which suppressed unfavourable press coverage and staged lavish celebrations to mark the openings of new facilities.

The IOC had forbidden Germany to exclude Jews from its Olympic team, but only one Jewish athlete represented the country - Rudi Ball, who was a member of the ice hockey team.

Ball was only picked after his teammate, Gustav Jaenecke, refused to play unless Ball was included.

The German selectors also realised that without Ball and Jaenecke the team, who had won the bronze medals at Lake Placid four years earlier, would not stand a chance of winning.

With much controversy Ball was included in the German team to play after a deal was also struck for Ball's family to leave Germany after the Olympics.

After Ball was injured, the Germans took fifth place in the tournament.

Ball played four matches and scored two goals.



"I have often been asked in recent days: is the bid for the Games in 2018 to compensate for the shadow of the past?" said Schmid.

"I always say that it is not as there will always be a shadow.

"But we can show, in 2018, that there is an alternative.

"One must accept what is shown in the exhibition, however we want to have honest and open times, which are what we are working towards."

The Olympic oath at the Games was taken by skier Willy Bogner, whose son - also called Willy - was the chief executive of Muncih 2018 until he resigned last September for health reasons.

Dr. h.c. Charlotte Knobloch, President of the Jewish Community of Munich and Upper Bavaria, Vice-President of the World Jewish Congress and a member of the Munich 2018 Board of Trustees, was also present at the opening of the new exhibition.

"This exhibition is very important for the fight against forgetting the past," she said.

"I love sport and, without exaggerating, I'm delighted at how openly Garmisch-Partenkirchen presents its past in an open and friendly environment.

"So we can stand up optimistic and excited about Munich 2018.

"Here, preserving the memory of the past is very important as it shows that the lessons of history have been understood.'

The exhibition, which will be open until May 1 in the Kurhaus in the World Championships Park, honours the 75th anniversary of the 1936 Olympic Winter Games held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

"The Munich 2018 Bid Committee has a huge responsibility to ensure that lessons from Germany's history are never forgotten," said Bernhard Schwank, the chief executive of Munich 2018.

"We also have to move forward and show Garmisch-Partenkirchen as the vibrant winter sports hub that it is today."


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