Olympic Officials Refuse To Honor Memory Of Israeli Athletes Murdered In Munich

In perhaps one of the most disgraceful decisions it has ever made, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has refused even to consider a simple moment of silence in Friday’s opening ceremony for the Israeli athletes killed by terrorists 40 years ago in the Munich Games.

According to AP and other news agencies, IOC President Jacques Rogge continues to insist “that the opening ceremony was not an appropriate arena to remember the dead despite pressure from politicians in the United States, Israel and Germany.”

While a dignified commemoration should transcend politics, the Chicago Tribune suggests that the IOC intransigence is all about political pandering:

The IOC’s attitude involves an element of realpolitik. It clearly is fearful of the potential uproar that could follow from the nearly two dozen Arab countries and some two dozen more primarily Muslim countries sending teams to London.

The 40th anniversary of the Munich, Germany, massacre was instead marked today “with a modest prayer service in the atrium of a London apartment block.” A memorial plaque was unveiled some four miles from the Olympic Stadium.

Israeli Olympic Committee Secretary General Efraim Zinger insists that…

The International Olympic Committee have a moral commitment to commemorate the 11 athletes, coaches and referees. Not because they were Israelis, but because they were Olympians and were murdered during the Olympic Games.

In the aftermath of the suicide bomb attack on Israeli tourists in Bulgaria, Israeli and British security are on high alert for any possible attacks on Israeli athletes during the London Olympiad. According to the Washington Times, “potential Israeli targets include not just athletes, but Israeli tourists and fans as well.”

In the 1972 Summer Games, Palestinian terrorists affiliated with the Black September organization broke into the poorly protected Olympic Village in Munich and killed 11 members of the Israeli Olympic team.