UK's Boris Johnson likens Putin's World Cup to 1936 Berlin Olympics

LONDON: Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson agreed with a suggestion Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin would exploit hosting the 2018 football World Cup as Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler did the Berlin Games.

Put to him by an MP that "Putin is going to use it in the way Hitler used the 1936 Olympics", as a propaganda exercise, Johnson replied: "I think the comparison with 1936 is certainly right," envisaging Putin "glorying in this sporting event".

His comments came amid an escalating war of words between Russia and Britain over the poisoning by a former Russian double agent on British soil earlier this month.

Hitler wanted the 1936 Games to be a symbol of Aryan supremacy and famously refused to shake hands with American star Jesse Owens, the black track and field athlete who won four gold medals in Berlin.