What If?

What If? Synopsis

WHAT IF? THE HELENE MAYER STORY chronicles the case of fencing champion Helene Mayer, who won a Gold medal at the 1928 Olympics. She was an ideal candidate for the German team in '36, but with one issue; she was half-Jewish. Allowances were made that eventually permitted the athlete to represent her country, but there is a question, whose answer can only be hypothetical - had Mayer refused, would the Olympics have occurred, or would her refutation of participating for the Nazis have been a major humiliation on the international stage?

Another question extends to Mayer's motivations for agreeing to participate: was it to protect her family's safety, or something else?