Liechtenstein competed at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, which took place from 1 to 16 August 1936. It was the first Summer Olympics in which Liechtenstein competed, as the Liechtenstein Olympic Committee had been founded the year prior. Six male competitors took part in five events in three sports. None of them won medals.
| Liechtenstein at the 1936 Summer Olympics | |
|---|---|
.svg) | |
| IOC code | LIE |
| NOC | Liechtenstein Olympic Committee |
| Website | www |
| in Berlin, Germany 1–16 August 1936 | |
| Competitors | 6 in 3 sports |
| Flag bearer | Oskar Ospelt |
| Medals |
|
| Summer Olympics appearances (overview) | |
It was only at these games that Liechtenstein realized their flag was identical to that of Haiti. This prompted Liechtenstein to add the crown found in their current flag so that both flags could be distinguishable from each other at the opening ceremony. The modified design made in the ceremony was officially adopted by Liechtenstein on 24 June 1937.
Background
editLiechtenstein competed at these Games from 1 to 16 August 1936, which marked its debut in the Summer Olympics.[1] It was the nation's second appearance at an Olympic Games after competing in the 1936 Winter Olympics held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, a few months prior. Four athletes were sent to the competition.[2] In order to do so, the Liechtenstein Olympic Committee was established the previous year under the initiative of Woldemar von Falz-Fein and Eduard von Falz-Fein.[3][4]
Delegation
editThe Liechtenstein delegation consisted of nine people. The officials were Alexander Frick, who was the president of the Liechtenstein committee for the Games, Eduard Theodor von Falz-Fein as the attaché and part of the jury in the shooting events, and Franz I, Prince of Liechtenstein, as a representative of the International Olympic Committee.[5] The athletes that competed were runner Xaver Frick, who competed in the men's 100 metres and 200 metres, runner and thrower Oskar Ospelt, who competed in the 100 metres and men's discus throw, cyclist Adolf Schreiber, who competed in the men's road race, and sport shooters Augustin Hilty, Rudolf Jehle, and Rudolf Senti, who all competed in the men's 50 metre rifle prone.[6][7]
Opening ceremony and flag incident
editOskar Ospelt carried the flag for the nation at the opening ceremony.[8] Before the opening ceremony, the delegations of Haiti and Liechtenstein noticed that the civil flag of Haiti was identical to that of the flag of Liechtenstein.[9] As a result, both nations agreed to carry different flags during the ceremony. Liechtenstein received approval from their government to carry the flag upside-down and add a "Prince's Hat" crown in the corner, while Haiti added the national crest in order to make it into the state flag instead.[10][11] This directly led to Liechtenstein adding the crown to their flag. This modified design was adopted on 24 June 1937.[9]
Athletics
edit
Liechtenstein held trials for athletics events before their debut in the Summer Olympics. Xaver Frick and Oskar Ospelt took part in the trials. Frick won the races over 200, 400, and 800 metres, while Ospelt won the discus throw, javelin throw, and the 100 metres in a time of 11 seconds.[12]
At the Olympics, both men first competed in the men's 100 metres on 2 August 1936. Ospelt ran in the sixth heat, while Frick ran in the ninth heat. Both of them placed last, placing six out of six competitors within their heats, and finished with times not fast enough to progress further.[13] Eventually, Jesse Owens of the United States took the gold medal on 3 August, in a time of 10.3 seconds.[14]
Frick then competed in the men's 200 metres on 4 August. He ran in the second heat and placed sixth out of six competitors, finishing with a time not fast enough to progress further.[6] Owens eventually took the gold once more, finishing with an world record-setting time of 20.7 seconds.[15]
Ospelt competed in the last athletics event for the nation in the men's discus throw on 5 August. He placed 26th in the qualifying round and did not advance as an athlete had to have a throw of 44 metres or more to qualify. Ken Carpenter eventually took the gold in an Olympic record-setting distance of 50.48 metres.[5]
- Men
- Track & road events
| Athlete | Event | Heat | Quarterfinal | Semifinal | Final | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | Result | Rank | ||
| Xaver Frick | 100 m | ? | 6 | Did not advance | |||||
| 200 m | ? | 6 | Did not advance | ||||||
| Oskar Ospelt | 100 m | ? | 6 | Did not advance | |||||
- Field events
| Athlete | Event | Qualification | Final | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Distance | Position | Distance | Position | ||
| Oskar Ospelt | Discus throw | ? | 26 | Did not advance | |
Cycling
edit
Liechtenstein entered one athlete into cycling. The nation picked cyclist Adolf Schreiber, who competed in the men's individual road race, which was held at the Avus Motor Road. The event took place on 10 August 1936. The race spanned over 100 kilometres. He finished in an unknown time, placing between 39th and 94th.[6][16] Robert Charpentier of France eventually took the gold in a time of 2:33:05.[17]
Road
edit| Athlete | Event | Time | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adolf Schreiber | Men's road race | ? | 39–94 |
Shooting
editLiechtenstein entered three shooters. The nation picked shooters Augustin Hilty, Rudolf Jehle, and Rudolf Senti, who all competed in the men's 50 metre rifle prone. Their event was held at the Wannsee Shooting Range[5] on 8 August 1936. Hilty obtained 288 rings and tied for 44th, Senti obtained 281 rings and tied for 61st, and Jehle obtained 280 rings and placed 63rd. The eventual winner was Willy Røgeberg of Norway at the 1936 Summer Olympics, who set an Olympic record by obtaining 300 out of 300 possible rings.[5]
- Men
| Athlete | Event | Shoot off | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score | Rank | |||
| Augustin Hilty | 50 metre rifle prone | 288 | =44 | |
| Rudolf Jehle | 280 | 63 | ||
| Rudolf Senti | 281 | =61 | ||
References
edit- ^ Editorial (31 December 2011). "Olympische Spiele". Historisches Lexikon des Fürstentums Liechtenstein (in German). Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ von le Fort, Peter. IV. Olympische Winterspiele 1936 Amtlicher Bericht [IV. 1936 Winter Olympics Official Report] (PDF) (in German). Reichssportverlag. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 August 2007. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
- ^ Editorial (31 December 2011). "Liechtensteinischer Olympischer Sportverband (LOSV)". Historisches Lexikon des Fürstentums Liechtenstein (in German). Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ Editorial (31 December 2011). "Falz-Fein, Eduard Alexander Baron von". Historisches Lexikon des Fürstentums Liechtenstein (in German). Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ a b c d "The XIth Olympic Games Berlin, 1936 Official Report Volume II" (PDF). Berlin Olympics Organizing Committee. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 July 2007. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
- ^ a b c "The XIth Olympic Games Berlin, 1936 Official Report Volume I" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 July 2007.
- ^ "Liechtenstein at the 1936 Summer Olympics". Olympedia. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
- ^ "Oskar Ospelt". olympedia.org. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
- ^ a b Kindersley, Dorling (3 November 2008). Complete Flags of the World. Dorling Kindersley Ltd. p. 148. ISBN 9781405338615. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
- ^ "Liechtenstein change of flag" (PDF). International Society of Olympic Historians: 28. 2019.
- ^ Rainey, Venetia (24 July 2012). "Flag bearing: a potted history". Reuters. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
- ^ Watson, Benjamin. "Liechtenstein 1936 Olympics". Georgia Tech. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
- ^ "100 metres, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
- ^ "Jesse Owens' quest for glory started with 100m gold". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
- ^ "Jesse Owens completes the hat-trick with 200m win". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
- ^ "Road Race, Individual, Men". Olympedia. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
- ^ "Cycling 101: Olympic history, records and results". NBC Olympics. 1 May 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2024.