An Olympic gold medal for aeronautics was awarded in conjunction with the 1936 Summer Olympics for the greatest aeronautic achievement in the preceding four years. The winner was Swiss pilot Hermann Schreiber, [1] who won for becoming the first person ever to fly over the Alps in a glider without motorized assistance. [2] Sources differ on which specific flight Schreiber was awarded for; Thomas Lippert of the Journal of Sports Philately stated it was on August 4, 1933, [2] while other sources report his flight taking place in 1935. [3] [4] [5] Schreiber received his medal at the 1936 Summer Olympics closing ceremony. [6] Schreiber also competed in the demonstration event of gliding at that same Games. [2]
A prize for aeronautics had been considered by the International Olympic Committee as early as the 1920s, [6] [7] though it remained unused until 1936. The aeronautics prize was not awarded again and was officially discontinued in 1946, along with the prize for alpinism. [2]