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\n Related: <\/span>USA Skier Says It’s ‘Hard’ Representing Country With ‘Everything’ Going On<\/span><\/a>
\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\t\t\tTeam USA freestyle skier Hunter Hess didn\u2019t mince words when talking about representing the United States in the midst of the country\u2019s current political climate. \u201cIt brings up mixed emotions to represent the U.S. right now,\u201d Hess said at a press conference on Friday, February 6, before the Olympic Winter Games opening ceremony. \u201cIt\u2019s a [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The official 1936 Berlin Games shirt is emboldened with the event\u2019s official poster featuring the rings and male figure, available for $47. As The Athletic<\/em> notes, the Games were used by Hitler and the Nazis to \u201cpromote their antisemitic and racist regime.\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cWhile it is true that Owens winning four gold medals is one of the 1936 Games\u2019 most important stories, it\u2019s most obvious legacy is a warning as to what can happen if you let dictators use the major sporting events to promote hateful political ideologies, such as the Nazi myth of Aryan racial superiority,\u201d The Athletic\u2019s Matt Slater<\/strong> wrote on Friday.<\/p>\n\n![\"GettyImages-3046695](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-3046695-adolf-hitler-olympics.jpg?w=1000&quality=86&strip=all\")
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\n General view of the Brandenburge Gate as Germany hosts the XI Olympic Games in August of 1936 in Berlin, Germany.<\/span> Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe controversy surrounding the t-shirt comes amid a rise in antisemitism<\/a>, fascism<\/a> and violent acts of white supremacy<\/a>. According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), antisemitic incidents in the U.S. rose by 361 percent<\/a> following the October 7 terrorist attack in Israel. According to the February 2025 State of Antisemitism in America<\/a> 2024 report, 33 percent of American Jews said they have been the personal target of antisemitism, in-person or virtually, at least once over the past year.<\/p>\nThe 2026 Winter Olympics, held in Milan, Italy, has not been untouched by controversy as athletes from around the world compete for gold, silver and bronze. Vladyslav Heraskevych<\/strong>, a Ukrainian skeleton competitor, was disqualified from competition<\/a> after he refused to change his helmet. (The athlete\u2019s helmet highlighted fellow athletes who have died during Russia\u2019s ongoing war in Ukraine.)<\/p>\nHeraskevych appealed the decision, which was ultimately denied by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).<\/p>\n
After French ice dancers<\/a> Laurence Fournier Beaudry<\/strong> and Guillame Cizeron<\/strong> won the gold over Americans Madison Chock<\/strong> and Evan Bates<\/strong>, fans called for an investigation into French judge Jezebel Dabouis<\/strong>, who favorited Beaudry, 33, and Cizeron, 31, in the free dance competition by a margin so high it made the difference between gold and silver.<\/p>\nBecause Dabouis\u2019 scores differed so greatly from her fellow judges, speculation quickly grew that she was not capable of being objective while scoring the competition.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is normal for there to be a range of scores given by different judges in any panel and a number of mechanisms are used to mitigate these variations,\u201d the International Skating Union, figure skating\u2019s governing body, said in a statement released on Thursday, February 12, sticking by Dabouis. \u201cThe ISU has full confidence in the scores given and remains completely committed to fairness.\u201d<\/p>\n
Several athletes have also come under fire for publicly admitting that it feels \u201ccomplicated\u201d to represent the United States<\/a> during the country\u2019s political turmoil.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile it is true that Owens winning four gold medals is one of the 1936 Games\u2019 most important stories, it\u2019s most obvious legacy is a warning as to what can happen if you let dictators use the major sporting events to promote hateful political ideologies, such as the Nazi myth of Aryan racial superiority,\u201d The Athletic\u2019s Matt Slater<\/strong> wrote on Friday.<\/p>\n The controversy surrounding the t-shirt comes amid a rise in antisemitism<\/a>, fascism<\/a> and violent acts of white supremacy<\/a>. According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), antisemitic incidents in the U.S. rose by 361 percent<\/a> following the October 7 terrorist attack in Israel. According to the February 2025 State of Antisemitism in America<\/a> 2024 report, 33 percent of American Jews said they have been the personal target of antisemitism, in-person or virtually, at least once over the past year.<\/p>\n The 2026 Winter Olympics, held in Milan, Italy, has not been untouched by controversy as athletes from around the world compete for gold, silver and bronze. Vladyslav Heraskevych<\/strong>, a Ukrainian skeleton competitor, was disqualified from competition<\/a> after he refused to change his helmet. (The athlete\u2019s helmet highlighted fellow athletes who have died during Russia\u2019s ongoing war in Ukraine.)<\/p>\n Heraskevych appealed the decision, which was ultimately denied by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).<\/p>\n After French ice dancers<\/a> Laurence Fournier Beaudry<\/strong> and Guillame Cizeron<\/strong> won the gold over Americans Madison Chock<\/strong> and Evan Bates<\/strong>, fans called for an investigation into French judge Jezebel Dabouis<\/strong>, who favorited Beaudry, 33, and Cizeron, 31, in the free dance competition by a margin so high it made the difference between gold and silver.<\/p>\n Because Dabouis\u2019 scores differed so greatly from her fellow judges, speculation quickly grew that she was not capable of being objective while scoring the competition.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is normal for there to be a range of scores given by different judges in any panel and a number of mechanisms are used to mitigate these variations,\u201d the International Skating Union, figure skating\u2019s governing body, said in a statement released on Thursday, February 12, sticking by Dabouis. \u201cThe ISU has full confidence in the scores given and remains completely committed to fairness.\u201d<\/p>\n Several athletes have also come under fire for publicly admitting that it feels \u201ccomplicated\u201d to represent the United States<\/a> during the country\u2019s political turmoil.<\/p>\n<\/div>
\n General view of the Brandenburge Gate as Germany hosts the XI Olympic Games in August of 1936 in Berlin, Germany.<\/span> Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
![\"Biggest](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Biggest-Olympics-Scandals-Ever.jpg?crop=0px%2C0px%2C2000px%2C1131px&resize=400%2C225&quality=86&strip=all\")
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