Carl Diem: Olympism in the Shadow of Fascism and the Post-war Rehabilitation (1912–1961)

Abstract

In examining Carl Diem’s writings throughout this period (1912–1961), we aim to establish an understanding of how the discourse of Olympism, both before, but especially after the death of Pierre de Coubertin on 1937, was reflected in, and shaped by, the ideas of another leading figure in the Olympic movement. This chapter seeks to identify and analyse Diem’s discourse of Olympism and to consider the extent to which Diem’s dual identity, as an IOC member and as a sporting representative of the Nazi regime might have had an effect on the Olympic movement and his articulation of the nature of Olympism. We examine below the expression of values associated with Olympism, and consider motives, interests and intentions in relation to its promotion, as evidenced in the correspondence, publications and personal records of Carl Diem. Our aim is not simply to reconstruct the aims, tactics or impact of Diem but rather to identify how he reconstructs the expression of Olympism during a period in which he played a key role in the running of the movement and the expression of its philosophy. Ultimately, the chapter will consider the degree to which values bound up with authoritarian regimes impacted upon the meaning of Olympism, not only during the Berlin Games, but also in the period that followed them.