Searchable Nazi Party membership records preserved by the U.S. National Archives indicate that at least four German athletes who earned medals in the 1936 Summer and Winter Olympics belonged to the Nazi Party. The records do not explain why these athletes joined the Nazi Party or the extent of their involvement. I do not presume to judge their motives. Those answers largely died with them.
The records were examined with a DIE ZEIT search tool.
The reason for my interest is that I wrote about the 1936 Olympics in my biography, The Legend of Jesse Owens.
The photo is of Konrad Frey on pommels.
Here are the particulars about the athletes:
1936 Summer Olympic Medalists
Konrad Frey: Gymnastics – 3 Gold, 1 Silver, 2 Bronze): Born April 24, 1909
- Place Hof
- Gau Koblenz-Trier
- Member no.382.960
Entry May 01, 1937
Gisela Mauermayer: (Athletics, Discus Throw – Gold). Born November 24, 1913. Student.
- Place
- Gau München-Oberbayern
- Member no.754
- Entry Apr 01, 1932
Matthias Volz: Gymnastics – 1 Gold, 2 Bronze): Born May 4, 1910
- Place (Schwabach)
- Gau Franken
- Member no.180.569
- Entry May 01, 1933
Notable German 1936 Winter Olympic Medalist
Gustav Lantschner – Alpine Skiing, Combined – Silver. Born August 12, 1910.
- Place Innsbruck
- Gau unknown
- Member no.986
- Entry Dec 08, 1931
An interesting pattern emerges from the data.
- Gisela Mauermayer joined in April 1932, before Hitler became Chancellor in January 1933. That makes her an early Party member, a distinction historians generally view differently from those who joined after Nazi rule was established.
- Gustav Lantschner joined even earlier, in December 1931, making him an early member..
- Konrad Frey joined in 1937, after the Berlin Olympics, when Party membership had become commonplace among public figures.
- Matthias Volz appears to have entered in May 1933, shortly after Hitler took power.
And on the topic of top German athletes…
More research is needed to determine if top-ranking German tennis star Cilly Aussem (Born January 4, 1909) also belonged to the Nazi Party. The name of Cilly Aussem comes up in a database search, but other data is missing. Therefore, it is UNDETERMINED whether the Nazi Party mregistrant Cilly Aussem is the tennis player who won a Wimbledon singles title in 1931. The records do not specify why they joined the Nazi Party or the extent of their involvement, and I do not presume to judge their motives. Their reasons died with them.