London Olympics: Organizers Reject Request To Honor 1972 Munich Massacre Victims
By Palash Ghosh
June 29, 2012 10:52 AM
"Organizers of the London Summer Olympics have rejected a plea to honor the memory of the 11 Israeli athletes who were massacred by Palestinian terrorists at the Munich games 40 years ago.
Ankie Spitzer, an Israeli woman whose husband Andre was among the victims of the 1972 atrocity, asked Olympic officials to commemorate the dead with a minute’s silence at the opening of the London games.
An online petition she started to promote her initiative has attracted more than 80,000 signatures across the world.
However, The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has never conducted an official memorial during the games to honor the Munich victims. Spitzer has some powerful allies on her side -- the U.S. Senate, 50 Conservative British MPs and the governments of Australia, Canada and Germany have also called for a minute’s silence to honor to Munich dead.
Holding a moment of silence in memory of the fallen Israeli athletes during the London Olympics will count as a kind, humanitarian gesture, and will send the message that violence and terror do not comply with the Olympic idea, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle wrote to the IOC.
However, thus far Jeremy Hunt, Britain’s Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, has refused to comply. Over 200 countries will participate in the London Olympics, including some of Israeli’s bitterest enemies, Iran, Syria, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.s to honor the Munich victims."
- Excerpts from the INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES
(The International Business Times is an online publication based in New York City, comprising 10 national editions and seven languages offering news, opinion, and editorial commentary on business and business-related stories.)
June 29, 2012 10:52 AM
"Organizers of the London Summer Olympics have rejected a plea to honor the memory of the 11 Israeli athletes who were massacred by Palestinian terrorists at the Munich games 40 years ago.
Ankie Spitzer, an Israeli woman whose husband Andre was among the victims of the 1972 atrocity, asked Olympic officials to commemorate the dead with a minute’s silence at the opening of the London games.
An online petition she started to promote her initiative has attracted more than 80,000 signatures across the world.
However, The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has never conducted an official memorial during the games to honor the Munich victims. Spitzer has some powerful allies on her side -- the U.S. Senate, 50 Conservative British MPs and the governments of Australia, Canada and Germany have also called for a minute’s silence to honor to Munich dead.
Holding a moment of silence in memory of the fallen Israeli athletes during the London Olympics will count as a kind, humanitarian gesture, and will send the message that violence and terror do not comply with the Olympic idea, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle wrote to the IOC.
However, thus far Jeremy Hunt, Britain’s Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, has refused to comply. Over 200 countries will participate in the London Olympics, including some of Israeli’s bitterest enemies, Iran, Syria, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.s to honor the Munich victims."
- Excerpts from the INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES
(The International Business Times is an online publication based in New York City, comprising 10 national editions and seven languages offering news, opinion, and editorial commentary on business and business-related stories.)