The United States competed at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany. The Americans finished second in the medal table behind the hosts. 359 competitors, 313 men and 46 women, took part in 127 events in 21 sports.[1][2][3]
Famous swimmer Eleanor Holm was suspended by Avery Brundage over "a drinking episode" while she was traveling to Germany together with other American athletes. She had swum in the 1928 and 1932 Olympics, winning gold in 1932. Holm's Olympic teammates unsuccessfully petitioned to have her dismissal overturned. She was the top favorite for the 100-meter backstroke event, and watched from the stands as the gold medal went to Dutch swimmer Nida Senff. Decades later, Holm told Olympic sprinter Dave Sime that Brundage held a grudge from an incident in which he propositioned her, and she turned him down.[4] Brundage was one of the most controversial figures in the US Olympic history, known for his racist and sexist remarks and actions and also for appeasing dictatorships, such as Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.
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