Exhibition at Wittelsbacherplatz honours Jewish sports stars persecuted under the Nazis

An exhibition about Jewish sporting stars in Germany opens at Wittelsbacherplatz in Munich on 23 September at 11am. Mayor Verena Dietl will give a welcome address at the opening of the exhibition, entitled "Between Success and Persecution – Jewish Stars in German Sport up to 1933 and After".

The exhibition explores part of Germany's Jewish sporting history. According to the organisers, Germany's rapid rise to become a leading sporting nation would not have been possible without it.

Sculptural, life-size figures pay tribute to 17 German-Jewish sporting figures and their contribution to the development of modern sport in Germany.

Through their records and their successes in national teams, at world and European championships and at the Olympic Games, they were among the celebrated idols of their time.

Because of their Jewish origins, they were excluded and stripped of their rights under the Nazi state. Some were forced to flee, and some were murdered.