Gliding at the 1936 Summer Olympics
Encyclopedia
Gliding
at the 1936 Summer Olympics
was a demonstration sport
. The sport of gliding had been developed in Germany in the 1920s but had spread widely by 1936, allowing an international demonstration to the International Olympic Committee
(IOC).
No contest took place and no prizes were allowed by the IOC. ISTUS (Internationale Studienkommission für motorlosen Flug) which later became part of the FAI Gliding Commission
had wanted to present prizes but this did not happen. However, a Swiss, Hermann Schreiber, was awarded a gold medal for his flight across the Alps in 1935.
The demonstration at the 1936 Berlin Olympics was at Berlin-Staaken airfield on 4 August. 14 pilots from seven countries (Bulgaria, Italy, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Switzerland, Germany and Austria) took part. On the previous day, a wing of a glider broke during an aerobatic flight by an Austrian, Ignaz Stiefsohn. He was killed.
The Hungarian pilot, Lajos Rotter, declared on the evening of 10 August at Rangsdorf
that the next day he would fly to Kiel
, where Olympic sailing events were held. He then flew his Nemere glider to Kiel in poor weather. On arrival over Kiel at an altitude of 650 m he saluted the Olympic site with two loops and landed at Holtenau
4hr 31min after launch. The distance flown was 336.5 km. This was then the longest pre-declared goal flight by a glider
.
Gliding was officially accepted by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at their 1938 Cairo Conference as part of the "facultative" (optional) group of sports, and was to be staged for the first time in the 1940 Summer Olympics
. An Olympic glider, the DFS Olympia Meise
, was chosen in 1939 but the Games were cancelled due to the outbreak of the Finnish/Russian winter war
Gliding
Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word soaring is also used for the sport.Gliding as a sport began in the 1920s...
at the 1936 Summer Olympics
1936 Summer Olympics
The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain on April 26, 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona...
was a demonstration sport
Demonstration sport
A demonstration sport is a sport which is played to promote itself, most commonly during the Olympic Games, but also at other sporting events.Demonstration sports were officially introduced in 1912 Summer Olympics, when Sweden decided to include glima, traditional Icelandic wrestling, in the...
. The sport of gliding had been developed in Germany in the 1920s but had spread widely by 1936, allowing an international demonstration to the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
(IOC).
No contest took place and no prizes were allowed by the IOC. ISTUS (Internationale Studienkommission für motorlosen Flug) which later became part of the FAI Gliding Commission
FAI Gliding Commission
The International Gliding Commission is a leading international governing body for the sport of gliding.It is one of several Air Sport Commissions of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale , or "World Air Sports Federation"...
had wanted to present prizes but this did not happen. However, a Swiss, Hermann Schreiber, was awarded a gold medal for his flight across the Alps in 1935.
The demonstration at the 1936 Berlin Olympics was at Berlin-Staaken airfield on 4 August. 14 pilots from seven countries (Bulgaria, Italy, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Switzerland, Germany and Austria) took part. On the previous day, a wing of a glider broke during an aerobatic flight by an Austrian, Ignaz Stiefsohn. He was killed.
The Hungarian pilot, Lajos Rotter, declared on the evening of 10 August at Rangsdorf
Rangsdorf
Rangsdorf is a municipality in the district of Teltow-Fläming in Brandenburg in Germany. It has an airfield, from where on 20 July 1944 Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg flew in his unsuccessful attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler at Wolfsschanze....
that the next day he would fly to Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
, where Olympic sailing events were held. He then flew his Nemere glider to Kiel in poor weather. On arrival over Kiel at an altitude of 650 m he saluted the Olympic site with two loops and landed at Holtenau
Kiel Holtenau Airport
Kiel Airport is an airport in Kiel, Germany. It is located in the borough of Holtenau, north of the city centre. It is registered as a public airfield .As of 2006, it served 30,528 passengers p. a.- History :...
4hr 31min after launch. The distance flown was 336.5 km. This was then the longest pre-declared goal flight by a glider
Glider (sailplane)
A glider or sailplane is a type of glider aircraft used in the sport of gliding. Some gliders, known as motor gliders are used for gliding and soaring as well, but have engines which can, in some cases, be used for take-off or for extending a flight...
.
Gliding was officially accepted by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at their 1938 Cairo Conference as part of the "facultative" (optional) group of sports, and was to be staged for the first time in the 1940 Summer Olympics
1940 Summer Olympics
The anticipated 1940 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XII Olympiad and originally scheduled to be held from September 21 to October 6, 1940, in Tokyo, Japan, were cancelled due to the outbreak of World War II...
. An Olympic glider, the DFS Olympia Meise
DFS Olympia Meise
|-General characteristics:*Crew: one, pilot*Length: 7.27 m *Wingspan: 15.00 m *Height: m *Wing area: 15 m² *Aspect ratio: 15:1*Empty: 205 kg...
, was chosen in 1939 but the Games were cancelled due to the outbreak of the Finnish/Russian winter war
Winter War
The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939 – three months after the start of World War II and the Soviet invasion of Poland – and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...