Munich Massacre Survivor Remembers
2012 London Summer Olympics
[ Check Out Stunning Pictures from the Opening Ceremony ]
Shulamit Nir-Toor remains haunted by that day, almost 40 years ago, at the Munich Olympics. Nir-Toor was one of just two women athletes who represented Israel. She was a swimmer, just shy of her 20th birthday. It was the second week of the games.
At 4:30 a.m., eight Palestinian terrorists killed two Israeli athletes and captured nine others, all men. They demanded the release of 234 Palestinian and non-Arabs jailed in Israel, along with two German radicals.
"We were sitting in the building and watching the TV showing the terrorists negotiating with the German police," Nir-Toor told The Media Line at the Olympic Experience in Tel Aviv - an interactive exhibit showcasing Israel's Olympians. "We knew there were two of our athletes killed and nine were still alive. I'm optimistic, so I thought maybe the German government would let one of the best units in the Israeli army come to release our athletes."
Israel refused to negotiate with the terrorists. A German operation to release the Israeli hostages failed, and all nine were killed. The Mossad, Israel's famed international intelligence service, later tracked down the kidnappers who had survived and killed them.
"You go back with your friends in coffins and the games carry on," she said. "For years I had bad dreams."
Today, at 60, Nir-Toor is the director of the department of women's sports at Israel's Ministry of Sport. She was visiting the Olympic Experience with Leszek Sibilski, a professor of the sociology of sports at Washington's Catholic University. Sibilski spearheaded an unsuccessful effort to observe a moment of silence during the opening ceremony in London in memory of the athletes.
Sibilski and his students partnered with Ankie Spitzer, the widow of Israeli fencing coach Andre Spitzer, one of the athletes killed in Munich. Eventually, seven governments, (the United States, Iran, Germany, Canada, Australia, Belgium and Israel) supported the initiative.
The International Olympic Committee (the IOC) rejected the proposal, although the Israeli Embassy will be holding a memorial service in London on August 6.
"Maybe we lost the battle but we won the war because we were able to educate millions of people," Sibilski told The Media Line. Along with a group of students, he is in Israel at the invitation of Nir-Toor, of Israel's Ministry of Sport. They visited the graves of the athletes in Tel Aviv and then went on to the Olympic Experience.
The Olympic Experience is a high-tech attraction in Tel Aviv that opened three years ago. This year, they expect more than 50,000 visitors and they're booked solid for the next few months.
The experience involves visiting five different halls for presentations in 4-D about the history of the Olympics and highlighting the six Israeli athletes who have won Olympic medals. One of them, Gal Fridman, won two medals in sailing - a bronze in 1996, and Israel's only gold medal in 2004.
There is also a moving commemoration of the killing of the Israeli athletes in Munich in 1972, narrated by the only other female athlete at the Munich games, Esther Shahamov. She describes the events of the day and, as smoke blows, she reads the names of those killed.
In the last room, participants can test their strength and reflexes with updated equipment.
Visitors described their experiences as both moving and fun.
"I enjoyed learning about the Israeli athletes and hearing about their national pride," Alison Kelner, visiting from New York, told The Media Line. Her husband, Louis, was especially struck by the Munich references. "I think it was well done; it got a lot of information across in an easy to understand way. It got the message across without being too graphic," he said.
Haim Rogatka, the manager of the Olympic Experience, says the goal is of the Experience is to give the Olympic message.
"To dream, dare and succeed," Rogatka told The Media Line. "Everyone has the right to dream, and if he has the power to try he will succeed."
London, England (AFP)
International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge held an unscheduled and personal minute's silence to mark the 40th anniversary of the 1972 Munich Olympic attacks which left 11 Israeli athletes dead
Rogge stages minute's silence for 1972 victims
2012 London Olympics - videos
- The Social Media Games
- London 2012 Olympics Week 1 Recap
- Galen Rupp Wins Historic Silver in Men's 10,000 Meters
- Team USA Blazes Through 100-Meter Sprint Heats
- USA Men Suffer First Water Polo Setback with 11-6 Loss to Serbia
- United States Olympic Men's Volleyball Team Falls to Russia
- LeBron James Helps Rally USA Men to 99-94 Victory Over Lithuania
- United States Overwhelms Czech Republic in Women's Basketball
- American Olympic Boxer's Loss Overturned
- Leuris Pupo Brings Cheers to Medal-Starved Cuba
- United States Women Pursue Soccer Gold After Crushing New Zealand
- Brits Strike It Rich in Olympic Cycling After Opening-Day Blunder
- American Swimmers Roll On
- Golden Run Continues: Michael Phelps Swells Medals Tally to 21
- Federer Escapes del Potro, Advances to Olympic Final vs Murray
- Michael Phelps: Triple Golds in the Pool
- Gabby Douglas: America's Newest Sweetheart
- Guor Marial Once Ran For His Life; Now He's Running For Gold
- Lithuanian Spectator Arrested for Nazi Salute
- Sharapova and Serena Battle for Olympic Tennis Gold
- Brazil's Yane Marques Carrying a Dream of a Nation
- Team USA Basketballers Draw Praise from Dream Team
- USA Sets All-Time Olympic Scoring Record in Blowout of Nigeria
- Team USA vs Nigeria Post-Game Quotes
- Team USA vs Nigeria Box Score
- Spain Survives Great Britain in Men's Basketball
- Olympic Volleyball: U.S. Men Upset Brazil
- Gabby Douglas Captures All-Around Event Gymnastics Gold
- Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Win in 3
- Gibb and Rosenthal Win Fast, Win Pool
- Olympic Volleyball: U.S. Women Trim China to Stay Undefeated
- Michael Phelps Eclipses Overall Medal Count Record
- Federer and Wawrinka Stunned in Olympic Doubles
- Badminton Fixing Scandal Breaks Out at Olympics
- Wiggins Clinches Time Trial Gold
- France Trips Canada - Books Trip to Women's Basketball Quarterfinals
- Tancredi Scores Twice as Canada Moves on With Draw Against Sweden
- Army Sergeant Hancock Shoots Down Skeet Gold for Second Time
- Bradley Wiggins Firm Favorite in Olympic Cycling
- Battered and Bruised Spain Overcomes Australia in Men's Olympic Basketball
- Djokovic On Course for Olympic Showdown with Nemesis Federer
- Ruta Meilutyte Sets New Benchmark in Olympic Swimming
- United States Women Gymnasts Capture First Team Gold Since 1996
- Munich Massacre Survivor Remembers
- Michael Phelps Equals Medals Mark
- Djokovic Rips Roddick, Advances to Third Round at Olympics
- Spain Routs Australia for Second Olympic Basketball Win
- Swimmer Missy Franklin New Face of American Olympians
- Diving Queen Wu Mingxia Nets Hat-Trick
- Chinese Teen Swim Sensation Says She's Clean
- Marcus Browne Loss Snaps US Win Streak in Olympic Boxing
- Thorburn Leads Canada Past Great Britain in Women's Basketball
- China Drubs Croatia in Women's Olympics Basketball
- Chastain to Solo: 'I'm Just Doing My Job' in Women's Soccer Squabble
- Rhode Rides On Determination to Clinch Gold in Skeet
- Murray Tops Wawrinka at Summer Games; Radwanska Falls to Goerges
- Identity of 'Mystery' Woman with Indian Contingent Revealed
- Olympic Tickets Sold Out Yet Stadiums Are Empty
- World Champ Jordyn Wieber Disappoints in All-Around Gymnastics
- Kevin Durant Nets 22 Points as Team USA Clobbers France
- Superb Skeet Shooter: Kimberly Rhode Shoots Way to Gold
- Yi Siling Clinches First Gold at Games; Wins Shooting Event
- Kazakhstan's Vinokourov Captures Gold in Road Racing
- Albanian Weightlifter Expelled After Testing Positive for Stanozolol
- Big Letdown for Phelps as Lochte and Chinese Swimmers Take Limelight
- London Welcomes the World with Spectacular and Inclusive Opening Ceremony
- Breakdown of the London Olympics Opening Ceremony
- London Olympics Photos: Stunning Pictures from the Opening Ceremony
- Dong-Hyun Eclipses own World-Record in Archery
- United States and Brazil Favorites to Battle for Olympic Volleyball Gold
- Healthy Usain Could Also 'Bolt From Blue' in 4x400M Relay
- London Olympics Kicks Off with Fireworks
- Michael Phelps Set to Swim for More Gold at London Games
- Greek Tragedy: Two Athletes Shipped Home from Olympics
- London Games Organizers Apologize After Korean Flag Blunder
- Roger Federer and Fellow Tennis Stars Take Swing at Olympic Gold
- Japan Shocks Spain in Olympic Soccer Opener
- Ben Ainslie, British Sailors to Launch Olympic Bid at Weymouth Beach
- Greek High Jumper Tests Positive for Steroids
- Greek Triple Jumper Expelled for Controversial Tweet
- Greece Carries Weight of Economic Crisis to London Olympics
- How to Be a Millionaire? Win Gold for Georgia
Copyright © 2012 AHN. All rights reserved