Avery Brundage, chairman of the American Olympics Committee, sailed on the New York shortly after midnight yesterday for Germany, where he will decide whether or not charges of discrimination against Jewish athletes are sufficiently justified to prevent the entrance of American athletes in the 1936 Olympic Games, scheduled for Berlin.
Brundage said that his objective in Germany is two-fold.
“My first job will be to learn whether or not any Jewish athletes from the United States will be treated right in Germany,” he said. “Next, I wish to make certain the fact that German-Jewish athletes will be given the right to participate.”
Brundage declared shortly before sailing that he intends investigating conditions in German sport circles from every possible angle.
“I expect to talk with the leaders in German sports first of all,” he declared. “These persons I’ll question regarding the status of Jewish athletes.
“Then I intend going to government officials. While we do not intend meddling in politics, and while we are not interested in Germany’s racial question or anything outside the realm of sport, we do wish to be assured that Jewish athletes will not be barred because of their race or creed.
“Before I leave Germany I intend talking with leaders in Jewish sport circles to learn from them whether or not Jewish athletes in Germany are suffering any discrimination in sports,” Brundage said.
Brundage said that he does not expect to get to Germany much before early September and that he intends returning to the United States about the middle of September. Meanwhile, he will attend the International Amateur Athletic Federation convention in Stockholm. He expects to proceed directly to Stockholm from New York. The convention opens August 23.
Brundage said that, until he completes his investigation in Germany, nothing definite can be concluded with regard to the entrance of American teams in the 1936 Olympiad. He stated that, as the chairman of the American Olympics Committee, his survey will result in a definite acceptance or rejection of invitations extended to American athletes.
In tracing the development of the racial clause in sport participation, Brundage said, “Several years ago the games for 1936 were awarded Germany. This was before the race issue was raised there. Since the issue was raised it has disturbed sport followers, and we called upon the leaders of the German Government and sportsmen to live up to the pledge that an athlete’s standing would not be affected by his race, creed or color.
Recently William May Garland, who represented America at the sport conference in Athens reported that Germany is living up to its pledge. I understand that other countries are also satisfied that the pledge is not being broken.”
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
