[Previous edition: Los Angeles 1932]
[Following edition: London 1948]

The 11th edition of the Olympics has gone down in history as the Games in which the Nazi regime of Adolf Hitler tried to show the superiority of the Aryans over Jews and Afro-Americans. Yet, Berlin was given the organisation of the Olympic Games in 1931, two years before the rise to power by Nazism. The Nazi regime invested a huge amount of money on the event, building a new 100,000-capacity stadium as well as various venues. Indeed, director Leni Riefenstahl was hired by Hitler himself to film the entire event and the result was the release of a documentary split in two parts – Olympia 1. Teil-Fest der Völker (“Festival of Nations”) and Olympia 2. Teil-Fest der Schönheit (“Festival of Beauty”) – in 1938.

The water polo tournament took place in one week, from 8 to 15 August, in the newly-built Olympiapark Schwimmstadion Berlin. For the first time, a preliminary round with group stage was played, in which all the teams played among each other. The placings were determined on points. If the points were equal, then the better goal average decided. The first two teams of each group were qualified for the semi-finals, while the third and fourth placed ones were eliminated.

The same principle was applied for the semi-finals. This means every team played against all the others appearing in the same group, unless they had met in the previous round. In this case, the previous result was considered valid in order to outline the standings. Once again, the placings were determined on points and, if the points were equal, the better goal average decided. The first two teams of each group were qualified for the final round, while the third and fourth placed team were eliminated and took part in a consolation tournament.

Photo www.waterpololegends.com

The Berlin edition welcomed debuting national teams like Iceland, Uruguay and, above all, Yugoslavia, who were still far from being the unbeatable side of the 1980s. The Balkans were immediately eliminated after the group stage, as they lost to Germany and Great Britain and managed to win only against Malta.

Not surprisingly, Belgium and the Netherlands advanced into the competition to the detriment of the United States and Uruguay, and Germany and France did the same in the group which also included Czechoslovakia and Japan. In the last group, Austria and Sweden pulled Switzerland and Iceland out of the tournament.

Exactly like in the past two editions, Germany and Hungary emerged as the main favourites for the gold medal. Not only did the Germans relied upon the support of home fans, they also boasted a prolific goal scorer such as Hans-Joachim Schneider, who netted 16 times in just five matches. On the opposite side, János Németh scored one goal more than him, making the final encounter between Germany and Hungary even more intriguing.

The expectations were high for the umpteenth clash between the two nations, which ended in a balanced 2-2 draw, marked by the braces scored by Hans Schneider and Mihály Bozsi. As the goal average would make the difference, both teams tried to win with high coefficients in the last match day. Schneider struck four times and triumphed in his personal duel with Németh, who scored a hat-trick. However, the Germans defeated Belgium 4-1 whereas the Magyars beat France 5-0 and this coincided with Hungary being awarded the goal medal thanks to better goal average.

Photo sain.scaa.sk.ca

It was a sort of fairy tale for Hannover-born player Bernhard Baier, though. He had been discovered during the Student Games in Budapest just one year before and he suddenly found himself in participating in the Olympics hosted by his homecountry. After the war, Baier became a sports administrator and entered into politics in Lower Saxony. He also served as a chairman of the German Swimming Federation and co-founder of the German Sports Federation.

The bronze won by Belgium was the swan song for players like Gérard Blitz and Joseph De Combe, both aged 35, who participated for the last time in the Olympics. However, American Charles Thornton Finn was the oldest participant at the age of 39, whereas Yugoslavia’s 17-year-old Ivo Giovanelli – sometimes referred to as Đovaneli – was the youngest. Great Britain’s Frederick “Freddie” Milton was a prominent figure, for he was the husband of swimmer Irene Pirie and brother-in-law of Robert Pirie. His son Hamilton would eventually compete as a swimmer, too, at Rome 1960. Similarly, his team-mate David McGregor gave birth to Bobby, future silver-medal winner in the 100 metres freestyle in the 1964 edition.

Speaking of families, Malta’s Arthur and Wilfred Podestà were the first twin brothers to take part in water polo at the Olympics. Joe Ruddy junior, who scored a goal in the 2-1 victory by the United States over Uruguay, was the son of Joe, gold medal winner with the New York Athletic Club in 1904. Similarly, Swedish Åke Nauman competed in water polo like his father Theodor, who won the bronze in Antwerp.

Swiss Ferdinand Denzler was a particularly versatile athlete, as he participated also in the Olympic Arts Competitions in the same year. Japanes Zenjiro Takahashi had previously competed as a swimmer in Los Angeles 1932, ending in the fifth place in the 100 metres freestyle final won by his 15-year-old fellow countryman Yasuji Miyazaki. Indeed, Belgian Albert Casteleyns won the bronze medal and 20 years later took part in the Winter Olympic Games in Cortina d’Ampezzo.

Photo www.waterpololegends.com

The Berlin Games were the last one before the tragic break of World War II and they provided dramatic stories in which sports, history and politics cohexisted. Hungary national team boasted goalkeeper György Bródy, who was one of the Jewish athletes who won the gold medal just in front of Adolf Hitler, and controversial Márton Homonnai. Younger brother of poloist Lajos, he was a right-wing policeman in the years of World War II and never hid his support for Nazism. Sentenced to death for war crimes, he managed to escape to South America and he died in Buenos Aires. His daughter Katalin had to take her maiden mother’s surname, Szőke, in order to be allowed to compete in the 1952 and 1956 Olympics.

Furthermore, Germany faced Austria and Czechoslovakia just two years before the Anschluss, the annexation of the former at the Third Reich, and three before the creation of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. Alfred Kienzle and Gustav Schürger were respectively killed and wounded during World War II. Czechoslovakian Jewish Kurt Epstein was instead imprisoned in the Nazi concentration camps of Theresienstadt, Auschwitz and Frydlant during World War II, as a consequence of the German invasion of the Sudetenland. He survived, whereas all members of his family were killed. He was back to Prague after the war and was elected to the national Olympic Committee, but he eventually relocated in the United States as the Communists took the power.

 
Preliminary round

Group 1 – 8 August

Belgium 1-0 Uruguay – Blitz

Netherlands 3-2 USA – Maier, van Aelst, van Heteren; Daubenspeck, O’Connor

9 August

USA 2-1 Uruguay – Daubenspeck, Ruddy; Castro

Netherlands 1-1 Belgium – Franken; Coppieters

10 August

Netherlands 1-1 Uruguay – Maier; Batignani

Belgium 4-3 USA - ?; Daubenspeck 2, O’Connor

Group 2 – 8 August

Great Britain 8-2 Malta – Sutton 6, Martin 2; ?

Hungary 4-1 Yugoslavia – Bozsi 3, Németh; Tošović

9 August

Hungary 12-0 Malta – Németh 4, Halassy 4, Tarics 4

Great Britain 4-3 Yugoslavia – ?

10 August

Yugoslavia 7-0 Malta – ?

Hungary 10-1 Great Britain – Németh 4, Brandi 4, Halassy, Bozsi; Sutton

Group 3 – 8 August

Germany 8-1 France – Schneider 4, Schulze 3, Gunst; Joder

Czechoslovakia 4-3 Japan – ?

9 August

France 8-0 Japan – ?

Germany 6-1 Czechoslovakia – Schneider 5, Schulze; Schmuck

10 August

Germany 13-1 Japan – Schwenn 6, Schneider 3, Schulze 2, Hauser 2; Kataoka

France 3-2 Czechoslovakia – ?

Group 4 – 8 August

Switzerland 7-1 Iceland – ?

Austria 2-1 Sweden – ?

9 August

Austria 9-0 Switzerland – ?

Sweden 11-0 Iceland – ?

10 August

Sweden 6-0 Switzerland – ?

Austria 6-0 Iceland – ?

Semi-finals

Group 1 – 11 August

Netherlands 4-4 Great Britain – van Aelst 2, ?; Sutton 2, Mitchell, Martin

Hungary 3-0 Belgium – Németh 2, Bozsi

12 August

Belgium 6-1 Great Britain – ?

Hungary 8-0 Netherlands – Németh 6, Halassy, Bozsi

Group 2 – 11 August

Germany 3-1 Austria – Schulze 2, Schneider; Hawlik

France 2-1 Sweden – ?

12 August

France 4-2 Austria – ?

Germany 4-1 Sweden – Schneider 3, Schwenn; Persson

5th-8th place group

13 August

Netherlands 5-4 Austria – Maier 2, van Aelst 2, Franken; Lergetporer 2, Schönfels 2

Sweden 4-2 Great Britain – ?

14 August

Netherlands 4-3 Sweden – van Aelst 2, Maier, Franken; Holm 2, Pettersson

Great Britain 3-3 Austria – ?

Gold medal group

14 August

Belgium 3-1 France – ?

Germany 2-2 Hungary – Schneider 2; Bozsi 2

15 August

Germany 4-1 Belgium – Schneider 4; Blitz

Hungary 5-0 France – Németh 3, Brandi 2

Squads

Hungary: Mihály Bozsi, Jenő Brandi, György Bródy, Olivér Halassy, Kálmán Hazai, Márton Homonnai, György Kutasi, István Molnár, János Németh, Miklós Sárkány, Sándor Tarics.

Germany: Bernhard Baier, Fritz Gunst, Josef Hauser, Alfred Kienzle, Paul Klingenburg, Heinrich Krug, Hans Schneider, Hans Schulze, Gustav Schürger, Helmuth Schwenn, Fritz Stolze.

Belgium: Gérard Blitz, Albert Castelyns, Pierre Coppieters, Joseph De Combe, Henri De Pauw, Henri Disy, Fernand Isselé, Edmond Michiels, Henri Stoelen.

France: André Busch, Georges Delporte, René Joder, Paul Lambert, Maurice Lefèbvre, Henri Padou, Roger van de Casteele.

Netherlands: Ru den Hamer, Lex Franken, Hans Maier, Gé Regter, Kees van Aelst, Jan van Heteren, Soesoe van Oostrom Soede, Joop van Woerkom, Herman Veenstra.

Austria: Erwin Blasl, Wilhelm Hawlik, Anton Kunz, Alfred Lergetporer, Otto Müller, Sebastian Ploner, Peter Riedl, Franz Schönfels, Karl Seitz, Karl Steinbach, Franz Wenninger.

Sweden: Göte Andersson, Bertil Berg, Erik Holm, Tore Lindzén, Tore Ljungqvist, Åke Nauman, Gösta Persson, Sven-Pelle Pettersson, Runar Sandström, Georg Svensson.

Great Britain: Leslie Ablett, Ernest Blake, David Grogan, William Martin, David McGregor, Frederick Milton, Robert Mitchell, Alfred North, Leslie Palmer, Reginald Sutton, Edward Temme.

Yugoslavia: Filip Bonačić, Luka Ciganović, Vinko Cvjetković, Miro Mihovilović, Ante Roje, Mirko Tarana, Bogdan Tošović – Dejan Dabović, Ivo Đovaneli, Vojko Pavičić, Ivo Štakula.

United States: Kenneth Beck, Philip Daubenspeck, Charles Finn, Dixon Fiske, Fred Lauer, Charles McCallister, Wally O’Connor, Raymond Ruddy, Herbert Wildman – Frank C. Graham, William E. Kelly.

Czechoslovakia: Lešek Boubelá, Josef Bušek, Kurt Epstein, Konstantin Koutek, Josef Medřický, Michal Schmuck, Hugo Vondřejc.

Switzerland: Ferdinand Denzler, Jean Gysel, Werner Kopp, Heinz Meier, Robert Mermoud, Benjamin Vessaz, Robert Wyss, Roger Zirilli.

Uruguay: Alberto Batignani Trucco, José Gabino Castro Porca, Julio César Costemalle, Francisco Figueroa Serantes, Hugo García, Maximino García Rodríguez, Enrique Pereira Kliche.

Japan: Jihei Furusho, Torajiro Kataoka, Shigetaka Katsuhisa, Yasutaro Sakagami, Zenjiro Takahashi, Kosei Tano, Koichi Wada, Takimi Wakayama.

Iceland: Jón Ingi Guðmundsson, Þórður Guðmundsson, Jónas Halldórsson, Þorsteinn Hjálmarsson, Jón Jónsson, Stefán Jónsson, Magnús Pálsson, Úlfar Þórðarson.

Malta: Joseph Chetcuti Bonacia, Joseph Demicoli, Jack Frendo Azzopardi, Anthony J. Lanzon, Arthur Podestà, Wilfred Podestà, Filippo Schembri Fortune, Sydney Scott, Frank Wismayer.

Sources

Sports Reference

Official report of the 1936 Olympic Games – Part II

Tags: 1931, 1935, 1936, 1956, Adolf Hitler, Åke Nauman, Albert Casteleyns, Alfred Kienzle, Anschluss, Argentina, Arthur Podestà, Auschwitz, Austria, belgium, berlin, Bernhard Baier, Bobby McGregor, Budapest, Buenos Aires, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Czechoslovakia, David McGregor, Ferdinand Denzler, France, Freddie Milton, Frydlant, Gérard Blitz, German Sports Federation, German Swimming Federation, Germany, Gustav Schürger, György Bródy, Hans-Joachim Schneider, holland, Hungary, Iceland, Ivo Giovanelli, Ivo Đovaneli, János Németh, Japan, Jewish, Jews, Joe Ruddy, Joseph De Combe, Katalin Homonnai, Katalin Szőke, Kurt Epstein, Leni Riefenstahl, Lower Saxony, Malta, Márton Homonnai, Mihály Bozsi, Nazi, Nazism, netherlands, Olympia, Olympiastadion, Olympic Games, Olympics, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, Republic of Weimar, South America, Student Games, Sudetenland, Summer Olympic Games, sweden, Switzerland, Theodor Nauman, Theresienstadt, Third Reich, United States, Uruguay, USA, Wilfred Podestà, Winter Olympic Games, Zenjiro Takahashi