Draft:Arthur Holz

Arthur Holz (9 September 1896 – 26 February 1946) was a German track and field athlete, sports instructor, coach and official. During the post-World War I era, he established himself as one of Germany's leading multi-event athletes. Winning the national decathlon championship five times: 1919, 1922, 1923, 1925, and 1926. He also secured national titles in the long jump and triathlon.

Following his competitive career, Holz transitioned into sports education and coaching. At the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, he served as the chief judge of track events, a role that involved overseeing several contentious officiating decisions. He later became involved in aviation, managing a prominent gliding school in East Prussia and served as a Luftwaffe officer during World War II. After the war, he was interned in a Soviet special camp, where he died in 1946.

Athletic career

In the early 1920s, Holz was among the most prominent multi-event athletes in Germany. Competing for the Charlottenburger Turngilde, he won his first national decathlon title in 1919. He reclaimed the national decathlon title in 1922, 1923, 1925 and 1926, bringing his total career national decathlon championships to five. In 1921 he finished as the national runner-up behind Karl Ritter von Halt.

In addition to multi-event competitions, Holz found success in individual disciplines. He won the German long jump championship in 1919 with a mark of 7.05 meters and repeated the feat in 1922 with a jump of 7.10 meters. At the 1922 national championships, he also placed third in the discus throw with a performance of 37.00 meters. Alongside his decathlon achievements, he won the national triathletic title in both 1920 and 1921.

Holz was also a competitive triple jumper. In 1922, he recorded a performance of 14.99 meters, a mark that ranked among the best European achievements of the year.

Sports education and coaching

Holz worked as a physical education instructor and department head at the 'Deutsche Hochschule für Leibesübungen' in Berlin. He also became known for 'Funkgymnastik', a radio programme in which he conducted gymnastic exercises for listeners. The programme was broadcast from Berlin and continued to feature Holz for several years from the late 1920s.

Holz also compiled an accompanying instructional book, 'Funk Gymnastik: 84 Übungen für den Gymnastikkursus im Berliner Rundfunk', containing 84 exercises for the Berlin radio gymnastics course.

Among the athletes coached by Holz was German javelin thrower Martha Jacob. In 1928, Jacob followed Holz to Sport-Club Charlottenburg, where she continued her athletics career under his coaching.

1932 Olympic Games

In 1932, Holz traveled to Los Angeles as part of the German delegation for the Summer Olympics. During the Games, he was appointed to a key officiating role, with 'The New York Times' identifying him as the 'chief judge of track events.'

Lehtinen–Hill controversy

The most high-profile officiating decision involving Holz occurred during the men's 5000-meter final on 5 August 1932. The race concluded with a close duel between Finnish runner Lauri Lehtinen and American Ralph Hill. In the final straightaway, Hill attempted to pass Lehtinen, who repeatedly shifted his running lane, effectively blocking the American's progress.

The incident provoked strong reactions from the predominantly American crowd at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, with spectators demanding Lehtinen's disqualification. The officiating panel deliberated for approximately one hour. As the chief judge of track events, Holz was central to the final decision to maintain the original finishing order. Contemporary reports noted that Holz and the officials concluded Lehtinen's blocking maneuvers were not intentionally malicious. Lehtinen was awarded the gold medal, while Hill received silver; both runners were credited with an Olympic record time of 14:30.0.

Aviation career

During the 1930s, Holz became involved in aviation and gliding. He was appointed to lead the 'Segelfliegerschule Rossitten' (Rossitten Gliding School) in Rossitten, East Prussia (now Rybachy, Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia). A contemporary German newspaper report on his appointment described Holz as a former German decathlon champion and referred to his earlier career in German athletics.

Internment and death

After the Second World War, Holz was interned at the Ketschendorf internment camp near Fürstenwalde in Brandenburg. He died there on 26 February 1946. The Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge records Holz as a victim of the Ketschendorf camp. According to the Volksbund, the remains of more than 4,600 people who had been interned at Ketschendorf and died there were transferred in 1952 to the war cemetery at Halbe. Holz is buried there in burial field 9.

National championships

Year	Event	Result	Performance
1919	Decathlon	1st	—
	Long jump	1st	7.05 m
1920	Triathlon	1st	—
1921	Triathlon	1st	—
	Decathlon	2nd	—
1922	Decathlon	1st	—
	Long jump	1st	7.10 m
	Discus throw	3rd	37.00 m
1923	Decathlon	1st	—
1925	Decathlon	1st	—
1926	Decathlon	1st	—

See also

• Athletics at the 1932 Summer Olympics
• Soviet Special Camps

Category:1896 births Category:1946 deaths