Cortina's Forgotten 'Mini-Olympics' During World War II

The 1941 World Skiing Championships in Italy were a propaganda showcase for fascist Italy and Nazi Germany.

Jan. 27, 2026 at 11:07am

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In 1941, during World War II, the Italian town of Cortina d'Ampezzo hosted a world skiing championships that served as a propaganda showcase for fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. Germany and Mussolini-controlled Italy swept the Alpine medals, with athletes giving fascist salutes on the podium. After the war, the International Skiing Federation wiped out all the results, making the event largely forgotten. The championships took place as the Axis powers held sway across much of Europe, with Nazi Germany escalating its persecution of Jews and planning the invasion of the Soviet Union.

Why it matters

The 1941 Cortina championships were part of an Axis plan 'to create a new world order' in sports, demonstrating the power and force of fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. The event has been largely forgotten, with the Italian republic never taking responsibility for it, and serves as a reminder of the political manipulation of sports during the war.

The details

The 1941 worlds included Alpine skiing events like downhill and slalom, as well as Nordic events like cross-country skiing and ski jumping. Germany and Italy swept the Alpine medals, with German skier Christl Cranz and Austrian-born Josef Jennewein for Germany dominating. Medalists made Nazi salutes on the podium, and the only non-German winner was 20-year-old Italian Celina Seghi in the slalom. In the Nordic events, Finland led the medal table, followed by Sweden, Germany, and Italy. Norway, a traditional power, did not win a single medal.

  • The 1941 world skiing championships took place during World War II, as the Axis powers held sway across much of Europe.
  • The championships occurred just months before Nazi Germany launched its ill-fated invasion of the Soviet Union, known as Operation Barbarossa.

The players

Benito Mussolini

The fascist leader of Italy who insisted on hosting the 1941 world skiing championships as a propaganda showcase, even though the 1944 Winter Olympics in Cortina had been canceled due to the war.

Christl Cranz

The outstanding German skier of the 1941 worlds, who swept golds in downhill and combined and took silver in slalom, while making Nazi salutes on the podium.

Josef Jennewein

An Austrian-born skier who competed for Germany and swept gold in downhill and combined at the 1941 championships.

Celina Seghi

A 20-year-old Italian skier who produced an upset victory over Cranz in the slalom, the only non-German winner in Alpine skiing.

Nicola Sbetti

A sports historian at the University of Bologna who has researched the 1941 Cortina championships.

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What they’re saying

“In many ways it's like it never happened. And the Italian republic has never been interested in taking responsibility for the championships.”

— Nicola Sbetti, sports historian

“It was a world championship heavily (influenced) by the regime, to show that Italians are strong, that Italy is a strong country, that the war doesn't touch me and I am able to produce a great sports show because I am calm, I will win the war.”

— Max Vergani, communications director, Italian Winter Sports Federation

What’s next

The 1941 Cortina championships remain a largely forgotten event, with little physical trace remaining in the town today. However, as the 2026 Winter Olympics approach, there may be renewed interest in examining this controversial chapter of Cortina's sporting history and its connections to the rise of fascism and Nazism in Europe.

The takeaway

The 1941 Cortina 'mini-Olympics' serve as a sobering reminder of how sports can be exploited for political propaganda, even in the midst of global conflict. This forgotten chapter underscores the importance of acknowledging and learning from the past, rather than allowing such events to be erased from history.