The stakes were high, the game played out on the world stage.
In 1933 Hitler's position in Germany was precarious. Hosting the Games would provide valuable propaganda for the Nazis and strengthen his hold on power. But the German Jews were under threat, America was uneasy, the International Olympic Committee desperately out of touch.

Hitler's treatment of Jewish athletes was clearly unacceptable. Should there be a boycott - would it destroy the Olympic movement, who would lose their positions, who would gain? It all rested on a few influential men...

 

It was a battle of ethics versus greed.

 

Then there were the athletes, among them Jesse Owens - would they sacrifice Olympic success for an ideal?

 

The extraordinary power politics prior to The Second World War are played out by a nine actor cast, portraying the people whose decisions could have changed history.

 

The play is followed by an excerpt from Leni Riefenstahl's outstanding film Olympiad and a discussion led by Olympic coach and best-selling author Tom McNab.