The twin Bavarian towns of Garmisch-Partenkirchen hosted the Winter Olympics in February 1936. To create a positive image for Germany, the Nazis built a number of world-class venues for sporting events.

Amid preparations for the Games, the Garmisch-Partenkirchen town council passed an order to expel all Jews in its jurisdiction, but decided to wait until after the Olympics to implement the decree. Antisemitic signs and publications were removed from the region for the duration of the Games, as a concession to the International Olympic Committee.

Canadian athletes engaged in the competitions in the hope of excelling, both for themselves and their country. Canada had captured gold in every Olympic hockey competition before 1936, but won silver at the 1936 Games. No story received as much Canadian press coverage and indignation as Canada's loss to Great Britain. The event was even raised in Canada’s House of Commons. At issue was the Olympic system of eliminating teams, which prevented a play-off game between Great Britain and Canada.