The International Olympic Committee has defended selling T-shirts with imagery from the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, made famous for Jesse Owens winning four golds to the dismay of Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.
Media reports on 14 February said the T-shirts had been available in an online shop, but had sold out.
Speaking at at press conference in Milan today IOC spokesman Mark Adams said the organisation could not erase history.
He added a small number of T-shirts had been produced to protect the IOC's copyright.
"The 1936 Games happened, and we hold up what Jesse Owens did and a number of other athletes as great examples of upholding the Olympic spirit. So I think we need to also remember there are some good aspects of that," Adams said.
"The validity of those trademarks depends on us exercising our rights to use those trademarks. So if we stop using those trademarks, they can be taken by other people and potentially misused."
Hitler had tried to use the 1936 Olympics as a propaganda tool to promote Nazi Germany, but was left embarrassed when African-American Owens, won four golds in track and field.
