Remembering Munich Olympics Massacre (1972) - Overview

Remembering Munich at subsequent Olympics A Social Consequence: Overview Four years later at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, the Israeli team commemorated the massacre: when they entered the stadium at the Opening Ceremony, their national flag was adorned with a black ribbon. The families o...

Remembering Munich at subsequent Olympics A Social Consequence: Overview Four years later at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, the Israeli team commemorated the massacre: when they entered the stadium at the Opening Ceremony, their national flag was adorned with a black ribbon. The families of some victims have asked the IOC to establish a permanent memorial to the athletes. The IOC has declined, saying that to introduce a specific reference to the victims could \"alienate other members of the Olympic community,\" according to the BBC. Alex Gilady, an Israeli IOC official, told the BBC: \"We must consider what this could do to other members of the delegations that are hostile to Israel.\" The IOC rejected an international campaign in support of a minute of silence at the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics in honour of the Israeli victims on the 40th anniversary of the massacre. Jacques Rogge, the IOC President, said it would be \"inappropriate\". Speaking of the decision, Olympian Shaul Ladany, who survived the attack, commented: \"I do not understand. I do not understand, and I do not accept it.\" There is a memorial outside the Olympic stadium in Munich in the form of a stone tablet at the bridge linking the stadium to the former Olympic village. There is also a memorial tablet to the slain Israelis outside the front door of their former lodging at 31 Connollystraße. On 15 October 1999 (almost a year before the Sydney 2000 Games), a memorial plaque was unveiled in one of the large light towers (Tower 14) outside the Sydney Olympic Stadium. In 2013, German Thomas Bach was appointed as IOC President. He was more sympathetic to the long running campaign run by the families. In 2014, the International Olympic Committee agreed to contribute \$250,000 towards a memorial to the murdered Israeli athletes. Finally, at the 2016 Rio Olympics, the IOC itself officially commemorated the eleven Israeli athletes with a ceremony held in the Place of Mourning, a memorial set up in the Olympic Village in Rio, two days prior to the opening ceremony of the 2016 Games. A 'moment of reflection' was also held during the closing ceremony. There has also been a memorial constructed on the site of the massacre by the German Government (opened in 2017) - Go to [[Significance of 2017 Munich memorial]](https://jewish-heritage-europe.eu/2017/10/23/munichs-powerful-innovative-new-memorial-to-olympics-massacre/) **Analysis:** a. Why do you think having an 'official' commemoration was so important for the victims\' families? b. Provide examples of how the Munich tragedy has remained a 'live issue' in recent years. What does this reveal about the tragedy and/or the Olympic Games? c. Go to the link above (the design of the memorial is explained by one of its creators). What was its purpose and how does it invoke memory?