The National Olympic Committee (NOC) of the Saarland14–17 May 1950: The Olympic Committee of the Federal Republic of West Germany is provisionally accepted at the 45th IOC Session in Copenhagen after a supporting letter from the High Commissioner in the FRG, Sir Hugh Robertson, is read out by Lord David Burghley. A decision as to the participation of the Germans at the 1952 Games is to be made later. At this session the foundation of the NOC for the Saarland is recognized founded in spring 1950. - Journal of Olympic History, FOUNDATION DATES OF THE GERMAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEE, by a Working Group of the Karl Diem Archive, Köln, Walter Borgers, Karl Lennartz, Dietrich R. Quanz, Walter Teutenberg was founded in the spring of 1950 in the Saar Protectorate, which existed from 1947 to 1956, a region of western Germany that was occupied in 1945 by France. As a separate team, Saar took part in its sole Olympic Games at the 1952 Summer Olympics before being allowed to rejoin the German team in 1956. Thirty-six competitors, 31 men and five women, took part in 32 events in nine sports.

Timeline of participation

Olympic Year/s Team(s) 1896–1912 German Empire 1920–1924 1928–1932 1936 1948 1952 W 1952 S East Germanydid not participate 1956–1964 (EUA) 1968–1988 (FRG) (GDR) 1992–present

History

Just as after World War I, Saarland had initially been disallowed from uniting with the Weimar Republic and remained under military occupation for several years after the end of the war. After World War II, the Saarland was not allowed to become part of the Federal Republic of Germany after its founding in May 1949. The annexation of Saar by France, however, was prohibited by the other Allies and Points 2 and 3 of the Atlantic Charter.

As the local population did not want to join France, separate international organizations were founded, including the Saarland football team, and in 1950 a NOC, in German called Nationales Olympisches Komitee des Saarlandes.1950–1957 Nationales Olympisches Komitee des Saarlandes, in Nationales Olympisches Komitee (NOK) für Deutschland - Geschichte, Struktur, Aufgaben und Arbeitsweise uni-leipzig.de

Saar was first eligible to send athletes to the 1952 Winter Olympics, but did not do so due to a lack of competitive athletes in winter sports. Having a recorded history of over 500 years of coal mining, the Saarland did donate a miner's safety lampOfficial Report, p. 103The Flame travelled by air in a miner's lamp presented for the purpose by the National Olympic Committee of the Saar, photo aboard airplane, Official report p. 208 in which the flame of the torch relay of the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki could be carried safely aboard airplanes.

At the opening ceremony of the 1952 Summer Olympics, 41 athletes from the Saarland marched.Olympische Spiele 1896-1996, Ein deutsches Politikum. Agenda Verlag Münster, 1996.Official Report, p. 221Official Report, p. 236, photos of teams presenting signs in Finnish: RUOTSI (Sweden), SAAR (Saarland), SAKSA (Germany), SINGAPORE The team was listed in the official report with a total of 44 men and 6 women athletes Official Report, p. 98 and with 71 competitors, 16 officials, 11 spectators for a total of 98.Official Report, p. 192 The team won no medals and was ranked a joint 44th among a total of 69 teams.

Following a referendum in October 1955 that overwhelmingly rejected the Saar statute proposing Saar independence as a "European territory", the people of Saar indirectly voted in favor of accession to the Federal Republic of Germany. The subsequent Saar Treaty of October 1956 allowed the Saarland to rejoin Germany effective as of 1 January 1957.

No separate Saarland teams were sent to the 1956 Olympic Games, as a United Team of Germany comprising athletes of all three German states took part for the first and only time. The Olympic Committee of the Saarland 1950 February 1957: Formal disbanding of the Olympic Committee of the Saarland., in Nationales Olympisches Komitee (NOK) für Deutschland - Geschichte, Struktur, Aufgaben und Arbeitsweise uni-leipzig.de formally dissolved in February 1957 as its members, like other separate institutions of the Saarland, became part of their German counterparts.

Notable competitors Therese ZenzVolker Bernardi u.a.: Olympische Geschichte des Saarlandes.Gollenstein Verlag, Blieskastel 2004, . (born 15 October 1932 in Merzig), a local champion, finished 9th in the canoe race at the 1952 Olympics, held on the open Baltic Sea, a new experience for the 19-year-old athlete from a landlocked country. She became world champion in 1954 in the K-1 500 m event. Competing for Germany in 1956, Zenz won a silver medalAn All-German Team starts at the Games of the XVIth Olympiad in 1956 in Melbourne... Therese Zenz, from the Saarland, is part of the German team and wins a silver medal in kayak singles - Journal of Olympic History, FOUNDATION DATES OF THE GERMAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEE and won an additional two silvers in 1960. Zenz went on to coach gold medalists Roswitha Esser and Annemarie Zimmermann at the 1964 Olympics.

Medal tables Medals by Games GamesGoldSilverBronzeTotal 0 0 0 0 Total 0 0 0 0

Athletics

Men Field events AthleteEventQualificationFinalDistancePositionDistancePositionToni BrederLong jump6.8819did not advanceWilli BurgardTriple jump13.8629did not advance Women Track & road events AthleteEventHeat QuarterfinalSemifinalFinalResultRankResultRankResultRankResultRankHilda Antes80 m hurdles12.04did not advanceHilda AntesInge EckelUrsel FingerInge Glashörster4 × 100 m relay49.0 5did not advance Field events AthleteEventQualificationFinalDistancePositionDistancePositionUrsel FingerLong jump5.2725did not advance

Boxing

Men AthleteEvent1 Round 2 Round QuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinalOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultOppositionResultRankHelmut HofmannFlyweightL TKO 1Rdid not advanceKurt SchirraFeatherweightW 2:1L 0:3did not advanceWilli RammoLight MiddleweightL 0:3did not advance

Canoeing

Men AthleteEventHeatsFinalTimeRankTimeRankHeinrich HeßKurt ZimmerK-2 1000 m4:01.44 did not advanceK-2 10000 mcolspan=2 48:05.612 Women AthleteEventHeatsFinalTimeRankTimeRankTherese ZenzK-1 500 m2:26.93 Q2:27.99

Fencing

Five fencers, all men, represented Saar in 1952.

Men's foil Karl Bach Ernst Rau Günther Knödler

Men's team foil Ernst Rau, Walter Brödel, Karl Bach, Günther Knödler

Men's sabre Ernst Rau Karl Bach Günther Knödler

Men's team sabre Karl Bach, Willi Rössler, Ernst Rau, Günther Knödler, Walter Brödel

Gymnastics

Rowing

Saar had seven male rowers participate in three out of seven rowing events in 1952.

Men AthleteEventHeatsRepechageSemifinalRepechageFinalTimeRankTimeRankTimeRankTimeRankTimeRankGünther SchüttSingle sculls7:58.43 R7:38.41 Qcolspan=2 7:42.92did not advanceKlaus HahnHerbert KeselCoxless pair8:09.53 RDNFdid not advanceWerner BielHans Krause-WichmannAchim Krause-WichmannHanns PetersCoxless four6:40.81 Qcolspan=2 7:10.43 R6:47.22did not advance

Shooting

Two shooters represented Saar in 1952. Men AthleteEventFinalScoreRankHans Eschenbrenner50 m rifle, prone38452Ludwig Gräf50 m rifle, three positions10893850 m rifle, prone39140

Swimming

Men Rank given is within the heat. AthleteEventHeatSemifinalFinalTimeRankTimeRankTimeRankGeorg Mascetti400 metre freestyle5:31.27did not advance

Wrestling

Men's Greco-Roman AthleteEventElimination poolFinal roundRound 1ResultRound 2ResultRound 3ResultRound 4ResultRound 5ResultFinal roundResultRankWerner Zimmer−52 kgL F 3:29L F 6:41did not advance14Norbert Kohler−57 kgW F 7:05L F 2:55L 0–3did not advance10Erich Schmidt−67 kgL 0–3W 2–1W 3–0did not advance10

References

External links

Helsinki 1952 Official Olympic Report olympic-museum.de Helsinki 1952 Official Olympic Report la84foundation.org