The fact you use Jesse Owen's example is a bit ironic, since he was actually much better treated in Germany than in the United States where racial segregation was still the norm. By his own account: "Hitler didn't snub me – it was FDR who snubbed me. The president didn't even send me a telegram."

(Not making a point, just remarking.)

> Could you imagine what was going through Adolf Hitler's mind when he saw Jeese Owens during the 1936 Olympics?

For the curious, we actually know what Hitler's reaction was. This is how Albert Speer, who was in the box with him at the time, described it:

"He was highly annoyed by the series of triumphs by the marvelous colored American runner, Jesse Owens. People whose antecedents came from the jungle were primitive, Hitler said with a shrug; their physiques were stronger than those of civilized whites and hence should be excluded from future games." [Inside the Third Reich, 1970]

He was treated normally (i.e. like hosts are expected to treat any foreign athletes) because Germany didn’t want to destroy its image. I mean, Germany almost snubbed Jesse Owens outright by not allowing any Blacks or Jews to participate, but after threats of boycott walked back on that (though did not change its mind, as is obvious from the quote you provided).

The nature of the relationship between Hitler and Jesse Owens is quite different from the relationship between FDR and Jesse Owens.

Points of comparison would either be a hypothetical successful German Black athlete and how Hitler would treat that person (not allow him or her to participate is the answer to that) or a hypothetical successful non-US black athlete and how FDR would treat that person.

As is quite obvious from your quote, Hitler still perceived Jesse Owens (and black people in general) as sub-human and was very outspoken about that. There is racist ideology oozing out of that statement. It’s consistent with everything else he has said about race.

FDR was obviously also racist, no question about that, but there is a difference between Hitler’s and FDR’s racism.

Jesse Owens’ own focus was very understandably on his own and others’ Blacks troubles they were facing in racist segregated America at the time.

I don't know about Hitler, but casual Russian nationalism and homophobia is not based on the sense of superiority; quite contrary, it's about fear that Russian language/culture/ethnicity/state disappears as others will outnumber us demographicaly or all our children become gays.

I mean the guy won't show up in Russia himself. It does not mean that German athletes won't compete. I think you maybe misunderstanding this situation.

I was not referring to the German situation, more the American one (also mentioned in the article).

In that particular case, nobody is going to rob the athletes dreams.

Excellent point. Since the Ancient Olympics, the Games were a period of truce. Any ongoing conflict was suspended. It was almost the only time where any disputes would be postponed for a later time.

And we're talking about an actual war, not some political disagreement. Those athletes would probably try to kill each other the next month or so.

It's really sad that people take advantage of such a great event to gain attention for different causes, even if those causes are right. It happens every single time.

Countries will always have disagreement no matter what. Save those for a later time. Not the Olympics.

Perhaps with ancient Olympics - the modern games have been cancelled by wars a few times (depends how you count, are winter games counted?), have had heaps of boycotts (how do you count boycotts? By country, by issue? By year?) and have been attacked a few times - the Atlanta, Salt Lake and Munich games. I don't think you could call the modern Olympics a period of truce, it's more of a lightning rod for current issues.