Football and Remembrance

Learning From the Past to Strengthen Our Future Through Sports

What: Guided Tour of Exhibition ("Sports. Crowds. Power.") & Panel Discussion on Antisemitism in Sports
When: 21 June 2024 at 9:45 AM
Where: ASANTA (Wilmersdorfer Str. 141, 10585 Berlin) & Berlin Olympic Park
Organizers: The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights & The World Jewish Congress

The history of football is intimately linked to the history of the society in which it was played. What does this history mean for us today? How should we look back on football in Germany?

The exhibition “Sports. Crowds. Power. Football under the Nazis” is the result of a collaboration between what matters gGmbH, the Berlin Sports Museum, and the World Jewish Congress. It explores the significance of sports during the Nazi era and how the Nazis attempted to use football to underscore their power. It also examines football matches in concentration camps and commemorates Jewish and non-Jewish athletes persecuted by the Nazis. The exhibit poses critical questions about how the power of football can bring people together or lead to marginalization — both then and now.

Displayed at Berlin’s Olympic Park, the site of the 1936 Olympics under Hitler, “Sports. Crowds. Power.” informs ongoing debates around German football’s Nazi past. Throughout the UEFA EURO 2024, until the end of July, the exhibition serves as a hub for discussions and exchanges among fans, multipliers, and stakeholders from across the continent.

10:00 - 10:20 Transfer from meeting point to Berlin Olympic Park for guided tour of “Sports. Crowds. Power.”
11:30 - 11:50 Return to venue for lunch and panel discussion
12:00 - 12:30 Lunch & Refreshments
12:30 - 14:30 Opening Remarks & Panel Discussion

• Julien Zylberstein, UEFA Managing Director of European Affairs and Governance
• Thomas Herrich, Hertha BSC Berlin CEO
• Dr. Leon Saltiel, World Jewish Congress Coordinator for Combating Antisemitism
• Peggy Hicks, Director, Thematic Engagement, Special Procedures and Right to Development Division, OHCHR (video message)