THE XITH OLYMPIC GAMES BERLIN, 1936 OFFICIAL REPORT VOLUME II BY ORGANISATIONSKOMITEE FÜR DIE XI. OLYMPIADE BERLIN 1936 E.V. PUBLISHED BY WILHELM LIMPERT, BERLIN, S.W. 68 The Dietrich Eckart Open-Air Theatre provided an ideal site for the gymnastic competitions. Gymnastics When the preliminary work for the gymnastic contests was begun in 1933, the circumstance arose that the body concerned, the German Gymnastic Association, did not belong to the International Gymnastic Federation. Individual German gymnasts had competed in earlier Olympic Games, but there had been no official participation of the German Gymnastic Association. Now, in the few years between 1933 and 1936, it was necessary to establish a union with the nations represented in the International Gymnastic Federation. The Gymnastic World Championship contests, held in Budapest in 1934, offered the first opportunity to establish this contact. On the occasion of these contests, Germany, that is, the German Gymnastic Association, was admitted into the International Gymnastic Federation. On this occasion, the German men gymnasts for the first time participated as a group 837 in an international contest, competing against 12 nations. The Olympic Games offered the German women gymnasts their first opportunity to test their ability in an international contest. The problem of the manner in which the gymnastic contests should be carried out was studied in great detail by the Organizing Committee. When it was certain that the Dietrich Eckart Theatre would be constructed, the problem of a suitable contest site was solved. It was then possible to begin the purely technical part of the preparations-the provision of the apparatus, the publication of the exercises, etc. It developed that international requirements and customs necessitated the pur- chase of some new equipment and the improvement of existing equipment. The Olympic apparatus was the result of numerous experiments and the closest collaboration between international gymnasts, judges and manufacturers, and represented an advance which, without these Olympic Games, international gymnastics would not so soon have enjoyed. After the World Championship Contests of 1934 in Budapest, the Technical Commission of the International Gymnastic Federation entrusted the Technical Director of the German Gymnastic Association, Martin Schneider, with the task of compiling the exercises for the men’s twelve-exercise competition. Through a number of detailed discussions with German and Swiss gymnasts, as well as practical tests, a uniform formulation of the exercises was attained. The vocabulary was adjusted as closely as possible to the gymnastic vocabulary of other countries. The decisions of the International Language Congresses held in Antwerp in 1886 and in Brussels in 1887 were authoritative in determining the names of the exercises. An innovation at the Berlin Olympic Games was the inclusion for the first time of contests for women gymnasts. This was a team contest, consisting of eight exercises. Six of these were on apparatuses-bars, horse, balancing beam. Two were group exercises—one without apparatus and one with portable apparatus. The exercises were compiled by Mme. H. Provcznikova, of Czechoslovakia, a member of the Committee for Women’s Gymnastics. All the compulsory exercises for men and women were ready for publication in the summer of 1935. The descriptions of the exercises were printed in five languages. Diagrams were included with the descriptions, which made the esercises unmistakably clear. Moreover, in Sep- tember, 1935, small films were made of the compulsory exercises for men and women. These were sent before the end of 1935 to all the nations participating in the gymnastics contests. The Dietrich Eckart Open-Air Theatre proved to be an ideal contest site. The gymnastic contests of both the men and the women were held in the orchestra ring and on the main stage, which had been built specially for this purpose. The main stage was provided with a tent roof, in case the weather should become bad. Since women’s contests were included for the first time, the number of contests was much greater than hitherto. Their successful organization had also become more difficult. In the night between Tuesday, August 11th, and Wednesday, August 12th, a complete change in the arrangement of the stage and gymnastic platform had to be made. The organization of men’s gymnastics suggested by Germany, and accepted by the Technical Commission of the International Gymnastic Federation, proved very successful. From early in the morning until late in the evening, the contests took place before a crowded “house”. The technical installations, such as the announcement board and the loud-speakers which announced the results, proved very satisfactory. The discussions between the judges preceding the contests also were most helpful. It was discovered that the very exact descriptions of the exercises in the regu- lation books had prevented all misunderstandings. Therefore, in the judges’ discussions, there was no need to consider the exercises themselves. It was not necessary for the jury of appeal to meet once during the men’s contests. This was a proof that there was the closest possible uniformity in the judges’ understanding of the exercises. 838 Alfred Scwarzmann (Germany, victor in the 12-event competition, performing the “scissors” on the pommelled horse. The first women’s Olympic gymnastic competition was also successful on the whole, although some doubts were expressed as to the wisdom of the order in which the contests followed one another, and there were objections to the manner of evaluating the exercises, in particular the group exercises. * Lots were drawn on August 5th under the direction of the Technical Commission of the International Gymnastic Federation. As a result, the following countries were in Division I: Bulgaria, Finland, Japan, Yugoslavia, Austria, Hungary, and the U.S.A. In Division II were France, Italy, Luxemburg, Rumania, Switzerland, Czechoslovakia and Germany. The order in which the different apparatuses would be used, was also decided by lot. On Monday, August 10th, at 7 a.m., the ceremonial entry of the seven nations of Division I of the Olympic gymnastic contests began. After the first three exercises, it was seen that three countries were definitely in the lead: Finland, Yugoslavia, and—to the surprise of most of the spectators—Japan. The results of Division I—six compulsory exercises and optional horse vault—were as follows: 1. Finland . 483,069 points 2. Yugoslavia . 462,999 ,, 3. Japan . 443,228 ,, 4. Hungary . 427,462 ,, 5. U.S.A. 420,967 ,, 6. Austria . 402,603 ,, 7. Bulgaria . 290,167 ,, The gymnastic contests of Division I had been watched with great interest. However, the interest in the contests of Division II was even greater. The great battle between Germany and Switzerland would be fought in this division. After the seven exercises, which lasted until late in the evening, the following order resulted: 1. Germany . 501,298 points 2. Switzerland . 500,202 ,, 3. Czechoslovakia . 480,198 ,, 4. France . 438,897 ,, 5. Italy (for 7 gymnasts, since Neri had been injured) . 436,500 ,, 6. Luxemburg . 359,032 ,, 7. Rumania . 234,065 ,, The semi-finals—five optional exercises in two divisions—took place on Tuesday morning. France, Japan, Yugoslavia, Luxemburg and the U.S.A. competed in Division I; Bulgaria, Italy, Austria, Rumania and Hungary in Division II. In Division I, the Yugoslavian team also made an excellent showing in the optional exercises, and was first among the five teams, with 320,160 points. As had been expected, Italy was the best team in Division II. With seven competitors, the Italian team obtained 305,398 points. Finland, Switzerland, Czechoslovakia and Germany competed in the finals of the four best teams in the compulsory exercises. Only one gymnast performed his exercises at a time. The announcement boards clearly showed the status of the contest after each exercise, for each competitor and for each team. The women’s gymnastic contests consisted of a group exercise, then six exercises on apparatus, followed by a concluding group exercise. The following eight nations competed: Great Britain, Italy, Yugoslavia, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, U.S.A., and Germany. The interest of the spectators in this contest was also unexpectedly great. This was a proof that present-day views concerning women’s gymnastics are shared by everyone. The organization was not entirely fortunate, 840 An outstanding gymnast and a magnificent gymnastic arena. Eugen Mack (Switzerland) on the rings. since it was necessary for each team to complete its team exercise before the exercises with apparatus began. This resulted in a rather long waiting period for the teams. This made the contest less exciting for the spectators than it would otherwise have been. The effect upon the competitors was also unfortunate. The different nations expressed varying opinions concerning the value of the group exercises. These varying opinions explain the great lack of uniformity in the jury’s evaluation of the exercises. It was not easy for the spectators to follow the contest, since there was no uniform evaluation even for the exercises with apparatus. It may be said, however, that the men’s and women’s gymnastic contests at the Olympic Games of 1936 were the greatest gymnastic event the world has ever seen. The splendid achievements of the competitors, the exciting course of the contests and the interest in the contest of approximately 100,000 spectators combined to make the event unforgettable. Men’s Gymnastics Entries and participation. Entered: 14 nations with 111 gymnasts. Competed: 14 nations with 111 gymnasts TIME-TABLE August 10th—7.00 a.m.: All Compulsory Exercises and the Voluntary Exercise on the Long Horse for the following countries: Bulgaria, Finland, Japan, Yugoslavia, Austria, Hungary and U.S.A. 2.00 p.m.: All Compulsory Exercises and the Voluntary Exercise on the Long Horse for the following countries: France, Italy, Luxemburg, Rumania, Switzerland, Czechoslovakia and Germany.