"Dora" and the "Bergmann Case"

] i s o h ] INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF OLYMPIC HISTORIANS TDsm® » t m ë G m f Volker Kluge n 19 August 2009, in the Berlin Olympiastadion, petitors: one, Gretel Bergmann, was cheated of her right Othe 18 year old South African Caster Semenya came ful place at the 1936 Olympic Games because she was home to win world championship gold in the 800 metres. Jewish. The other - “Marie Ketteler”, who in real life She did not attend the post race press conference and was called Dora Ratjen - was permitted to take part and rumours that she might be “ intersexual”, because of her came fourth. Although the “Bergmann Case” had been masculine appearance, came to a head when information glossed over for decades, it has recently become so well- was leaked to the media. The IAAF ordered checks on known that it only needs to be briefly documented here. her gender and it emerged that there had been concerns much earlier. The “Bergmann Case” As fate would have it, the premiere of the feature film The start of it all was Hitler’s so-called “Machtergreifung” “Berlin ’36” took place the very next day in the same city. [seizure of power] in 1933, following which he plunged It tells the story of two female German high jump com Germany into a dictatorship. The exclusion of the Jewish 2 0 J o u r n a l o f Olympic History 17(December 2009)Number 3 QS3P minority from the rest of German society, including sport, began with the boycott of Jewish-owned shops as from 1st April 1933. After the “Marxists”, the Jews were now also thrown out of the sports clubs and forbidden to use sports and leisure facilities. By enforcing these measures, the Nazi regime risked the loss of the Olympic Games for 1936, which the IOC had awarded in 1931 to the Berlin of the Weimar Republic. The IOC would have been justified in taking the Olympic Games away from Berlin if they considered there had been a breach of the Olympic Charter. On June 5th 1933 Berlin Organising Committee President, Theodor Lewald, made a declaration at the IOC session in Vienna. He said “all Olympic rules will be observed; an exclusion on principle of German Jews from the German teams at the Olympic Games of 1936 will not ensue”.1 His words were spoken with the backing of his government and were intended to mollify the IOC mem bership. Despite this speech, threats of a boycott continued to grow. So much so that at the next IOC Session in Athens on May 18th 1934 , Karl Ritter Von Halt, the Athletics President and IOC member in Germany felt compelled to extend the agreed undertakings by promising “to include non-Aryan German sports competitors in the Olympic tk, team if their performances justified it and to give them Tricked out of Olympic participation because she was Jewish - the opportunity to prepare for competition”.2 Gretel Bergmann In effect in the ensuing period a number of talented Jewish athletes were selected and added to the Olympic squads. Among them was the high jumper Gretel Bergmann from Laupheim in Upper Swabia, who had been sent by her father to study at the London Polytechnic in 1933. As a member of Polytechnic Ladies Athletic Club she became WAAA champion (1.55m) on 30 June 1934 at Herne Hill, defeating the holder Mary Milne (1.524m).3 Soon after, in August 1934, she returned to Germany at the wish of the Reichsbund jüdischer Frontsoldaten(RjF) [Reich League of Jewish Soldiers who had served at the German high jump champion 1936: the 18 year old ‘Dora” Ratjen Front], a organisation of nationalist-conservative German from Bremen Jews, whose leaders initially imagined that they would be able exist within National Socialism. With the illusory feeling of newly won security, Jewish athletes were in October 1934 for the first time invited by the Reich sports authorities to take part in the Olympic training courses for athletics in Ettlingen (Black Forest) and in swimming in Leipzig. However, apart from the fencer Helene Mayer and the ice hockey player Rudi Ball, classified by the Nazis as “half-Jews” and who were living at that time in the USA and Italy respectively, none save Gretel Bergmann was of Olympic standard. After Bergmann had been registered on 8 February 1935 as an Olympic candidate, she was also invited to a further three Olympic courses. Although she was forbidden to compete in the German championships, as Jewish clubs were not allowed to belong to the Reichsbund für Leibesübungen [Reich League for Physical Exercise], she was permitted The 1936 Olympic medallists: Elfriede Kaun, Ibolya Csâk and Dorothy to compete in three Olympic tryout competitions, all of Odam (left to right) J o u r n a l o f Olympic History 17(December 2009)Number 3 21 which she won: on 1 June 1935 in Ulm (1.55m), on 7 July respectively. Gretel Bergmann was no longer discussed. at the Württemberg Championships in Stuttgart (1.50m), The other German team members had been told she was and on 15 September in Munich (1.53m). In that year’s injured. At the same time Bergmann was in fact jumping German rankings she occupied fifth spot with 1.55m. at the Württemberg championships of the Reichsbund Meanwhile the National Convention of the Amateur jüdischer Frontsoldaten, at which despite being demoti Athletic Union was deciding on 8 December 1935 by vated she won with 1.55m.10 When at the end of the year a slender majority to send an American Olympic team. the magazine “Der Leichtathlet” published the list of the The delegates believed that under the influence of Avery “50 best Germans”, her name had been removed.11 Brundage that the participation of German Jews had been secured. Even so the US government knew from a report The “Ratjen Case” from its ambassador in Berlin William E. Dodd, relying Dora Ratjen, the daughter of a public house landlord, on informed sources whose names were not given, that was a member of VfB Komet Bremen who first came Gretel Bergmann would have no chance of selection. She to public attention when on 23 June 1934 at the Bremen was being tolerated only until such time as it was certain local championships she jumped 1.57m to defeat the that the USA would decide to go to the Games.4 A pre eight years older Selma Grieme, who that August was diction that was to turn out to be accurate. the winner at the 2nd Women’s World Games in London. To prolong the uncertainty she was invited to Karlsruhe In 1935 Ratjen improved to 1.57m, but at the German for yet another Olympic trial competition on the 7th June championships she could only manage a disappointing 1936, and this was won by the 17 year old Bremen athlete 6th place (1.45m). Dora Ratjen who equalled the German record (1.60m). On the basis of her performances Ratjen was also Second was Elfriede Kaun (1.59m). Third and fourth invited to join the Olympic training squads, where she were Gunda Friedrich and Gretel Bergmann, each clear was always allocated two-bedded rooms and told to ing 1.55m.5 share with Gretel Bergmann. Despite being competitors As only three athletes could be entered for the Games, they got on well. However Bergmann found her a little the Frauensportwart [official responsible for women’s “strange”, because she avoided the communal showers sport], Heinrich Voss, nominated the championships and instead - clad in bathing trunks - slipped away into in all 16 regions [Gaue] which were to be held on 28th a cubicle with a bath in it, giving as a reason youthful June 1936, and the German championships (11/12 July shyness.12 1936 in Berlin), as the last chances of qualifying for the However there was no hiding Ratjen’s deep voice, for Olympic team.6 On hearing this Bergmann competed in which she was “occasionally made fun of by [her] fel- Stuttgart, where she equalled the German record with low-athletes”, as was stated two years later in a police 1.60m and easily defended her title as Württemberg report13. champion.7 Three weeks before the Olympic Games At that time however no-one knew her secret. And Gretel Bergmann was ranked among the world top five why should they have? Ratjen’s performances were about women in the world, all of them heading the lists with the same as what other women were able to achieve. She 1.60m. started Olympic year with a win in the trial competition On the same day that the S.S.Manhattan left New in Karlsruhe (7 June 1936), equalling Elfriede Kaun’s York with the US team on board, the Reich sports leader German record (1.60m). She ensured her Olympic nomi ship in Berlin named the German Olympic team. When nation on ll July 1936 when she became German cham the names were published the following day, Gretel pion with 1,58m ahead of Kaun (1,54m). At the Olympic Bergmann’s was not among them - the women’s high Games, however, Ratjen, who had no international jump was the only event for which the maximum number experience at all up to then, did not justify the high hopes of three athletes had not been entered. One day later that had been placed in her. With a jump of 1.58m she Bergmann received a letter from the Reichssportbund missed out on a medal and ended up fourth.

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