Munich bombing at the 1972 Summer Olympics

olympics

The ancient Greeks left a great cultural legacy for other civilizations, especially for the western world. There is no way to talk about theater, philosophy, democracy and the Olympic Games without referring to those who were the pioneers in these manifestations.

Greek civilization was one of the most important of ancient times, the various city-states that formed the Greek world gained fame for possessing particularities that remain present even in ancient times. current.

Athens, for example, had a great concern for the human intellect, so since childhood, Athenians were in contact with the great philosophers of the time.

There was extreme concern with beauty, but for them, a healthy body depended on an active and productive mind. The citizens of Sparta were prepared according to an education focused on militarism. Maintaining physical strength was essential to defeat enemies, at age seven boys were sent to military schools to learn war tactics.

With the intention of having fun and promoting integration between the various city-states, the Greeks created in the year 2500 a. C os Olympic Games. The competitions were held in the city of Olympia and had a strong religious character.

Only in the year 776 a. C, the Olympic Games would be held in the format we know today: various sports practiced by athletes coming from various parts of the Greek world.

Among the competitions we can highlight: athletics, wrestling, horse racing and pentathlon (wrestling, running, long jump, javelin and discus). Contrary to what happens today, the winner does not win medals and much less cash prizes, but a laurel wreath. The winner was received in his city as a true hero.

The Olympic Games would be interrupted for the first time in the year 392 AD. W. during the rule of the Roman emperor Theodosius I. Converted to Christianity, the sovereign forbade the celebration of any polytheistic manifestation.

Only in 1896, the Olympic Games would be resumed in Athens, on the initiative of the Frenchman Pierre de Fredy, known as Baron de Coubertin. The initiative sought to rescue the principles of the games idealized by the ancient Greeks: fraternizing and preaching peace among peoples.

That year, thirteen countries participated in the Olympics and new modalities were implemented: gymnastics, fencing, cycling, weightlifting, swimming and tennis. The winner this time would receive prizes such as gold medals and olive branches.

The symbol of the Olympic Games represents the five continents and the colors that symbolize them. The interlocking rings symbolize the union between them.

Held every four years, the event has sometimes been distorted from its true meaning due to ideological disputes.

Since its completion in 1896, it has been interrupted on two occasions: during the First World War (1914-1918) and the Second World War (1939-1945). Some facts involving political and ideological disagreements marked the history of the games.

For example, when the German leader Adolf Hitler, motivated by his thought of ethnic superiority, refused to participate during the Berlin Olympics in 1936, awarding black American athlete Jesse Owens, who won four medals gold.

On another occasion, at the Moscow Olympics in 1980 (in full Cold War), the Americans refused to participate in a protest against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Four years later, the Soviets would be absent from the games that took place in Los Angeles in 1984.

Political and ideological interference would mark the holding of the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany. The proposal of union and fraternization would be tainted by a group of Palestinian terrorists linked to Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

It would be the first time that the International Olympic Committee realized the need to protect delegations against terrorist attacks. Such a grandiose event was the ideal opportunity for extremist groups to draw the world's attention to their causes. That year, 121 countries totaling a number of 7,134 athletes participated in the event.

black september

In day September 5, 1972, the Olympic village was invaded by the terrorist group black september. The extremists' intention was to invade the Israeli delegation, kidnap the athletes and use them to negotiate their exchange for two hundred Arabs imprisoned in Israel.

The group was created in 1970 and aimed to fight against Jordan in favor of Palestinian unity. The six terrorists who participated in the action in Munich were remnants of this group.

Dressed in Olympic sports suits from Arab countries, the six Black September terrorists managed to invade the Olympic Village after After jumping the walls that surrounded it, no one suspected anything, some even thought they were just athletes coming back late at night from somewhere. party.

After the invasion they went directly to the apartments of the Israeli delegation, immediately killed Joseph Gutfreund, a wrestling referee. Another team member who tried to fight back was also instantly executed.

Nine Israeli athletes were taken hostage. During the negotiations, the games were paralyzed, the world watched in terror as the German police tried to free the athletes. At first, the terrorists planned to flee with the hostages by plane to Egypt, and from there negotiate the release of the two hundred Arab prisoners.

The government rejected the proposal to free the Arabs, but agreed to take the Palestinians from the accommodation by helicopter. to the German air base: it was an ambush, there the terrorists were supposed to be surrendered after a planned action by the authorities.

The action proved to be completely wrong when, upon arriving at the air base, the terrorist group realized that it was at the center of an ambush. With an impaired view of the helicopters, the snipers opened fire on the Black September, which provoked a quick reaction from the group.

A grenade was thrown by a Palestinian at one of the helicopters, while another terrorist targeted the other. All hostages died in the action, as well as the pilot, five terrorists and a policeman, making a total of eighteen people.

Members of the Israeli delegation murdered during the action of Palestinian Black September terrorists.

The president of the Organizing Committee of the Games insisted that the event continue in honor of the dead. The stoppage lasted only 34 hours, while the Israeli athletes were veiled in the Olympic Stadium.

The Israeli delegation withdrew from the games on September 7th, carrying eleven dead athletes in its luggage. From that year, the organizers of the event began to adopt more severe measures to protect the village. It was proven that not even the Olympics, which had in its origins the idea of ​​uniting peoples and promoting peace among them, were free from the action of terrorist groups.

Lorena Castro Alves
Graduated in History and Pedagogy