GSD Leaders Bring Emotions to Munich Memorial

(ATR) After all the ceremonies were complete and respects were paid, Dr. Steven Ungerleider and David Ulich stood on the sidelines looking at the Munich 1972 memorial.

The scene was part of the effort of documenting the day, but mostly they were there to write the end of the story of a monument 45-years in the making. They were taking pictures, scouting locations for a hired video journalist and marveling at the completed project. It was Sept. 6; the 45-year anniversary of the Munich Massacre, the day a permanent memorial came to be in the city’s Olympic Park.

Around the Ringswent behind the scenes with the Foundation for Global Sports Development earlier this monthfor the opening of the 1972 monument.There, a large delegation of passionate individuals basked in the conclusion of the landmark project. The pieces all came together, but more importantly those who were affected had a chance to grieve.

GSD was founded in 1996 as a United States non-profit foundation that "[supports] initiatives that promote fair play, education, and the physical and developmental benefits of sports," according to its mission statement. Ulich serves as the foundation's president and Ungerleider as its vice-president. On its board sit Olympians, medical professionals, and sport executives.

After working on numerous projects in the realm of anti-doping, GSD began focusing on on the Munich project after being appointed by the IOC. Three and a half years later those involved were invited to Munich as part of the memorial's opening events. Sitting down after the entire experience, Ungerleider tried to summarize the entire overwhelming experience.

"Well, it’s very exciting and emotional," Ungerleider said to ATR. "It’s a feeling of completion and a sense of accomplishment

"It’s been on my mind for 45 years. It has been way too long."

IOC Impetus Needed

The reality is the memorial project would not have come to fruition without the election of a German to the IOC presidency.

The project’s roots began when the Bavarian state government established a Munich Memorial project in 2012.

A year later in Buenos Aires at the 2013 IOC Session, its members elected Thomas Bach as president. Almost immediately after Bach’s election, the IOC pledged a financial contribution to the Bavarian state government in Germany for a memorial. That financial contribution combined with the appointment of GSD as a liaison for the project meant four decades after the attacks in Munich, real earnest momentum for a memorial began.

The substantial contribution from the IOC was a sea change from the previous four presidents of the organization. Bach had a vision for the memorial, unlike his predecessors who had a variety of excuses and "people putting pressure on the IOC to stay away from it".

"There was nobody in the leadership saying we must draw the line and have a place to honor the victims," Ungerleider said. "Look, 45 years is way too long, and there were too many political agendas. It’s a good starting point for people to come together and have some completion."

Ungerleider says in his experience the project was "fairly smooth considering there were so many constituencies". Hiccups did occur along the way regarding the location of the memorial. Initially, the Park’s residence did not agree with the chosen site. A number of lawsuits soon slowed down the project before the site was moved.

ATR spoke with two residents in the Olympic Park, who declined to be named, as they visited the memorial after it opened. The pair said that they protested the project’s original location and attended a number of community meetings related to the memorial. After agreeing to move its location, they said they became supporters of the project and believe it is a well-done, fitting tribute.

Ungerleider and Ulich continued to make trips to Munich in 2015 as liaisons for the project. By now the location dispute had been resolved and an architect had been selected. The winning design opted to have the memorial cut out of a hill in the Olympic Park to symbolize the wounds created by the attack.

Documentary Bridges Gaps in Project

After selecting an architect and breaking ground on the memorial, GSD produced a documentary about the Munich Massacre to complement the memorial.

The documentary, entitled "Munich ’72 & Beyond," gave a new look into the tragedy, speaking with victims and relatives, eyewitnesses, journalists and authorities involved. According to GSD, the film even "exposed for the first time shocking new information," about the attack.

"It bears witness to the victims," Ungerleider told ATR at during the film’s post-production. "The film and memorial will be a positive place for healing."

The film premiered in 2016 on PBS and received numerous film festival awards. It is nominated for a News & Documentary Emmy Award in "Outstanding Research" and is also eligible for an Academy Award in 2018.

Hectic Munich Schedule

GSD was present at nearly all of the events surrounding the opening of the Munich Memorial.

After arriving, Dr. Ungerleider, Ulich and others attended a private ceremony before the memorial opening at Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base. The base was the site of the botched rescue attempt by German authorities that resulted in the death of the remaining Israeli hostages.

The next day, on Sept. 6, GSD was part of the private ceremony to open the memorial for the families of the victims, IOC leaders, as well as the political delegations. The delegations included the Presidents of Germany and Israel, and Bavarian state leadership.

All of the assembled guests joined together for another ceremony at the BMW Museum dedicating the memorial. There they were joined by a much larger group of invited guests. Speeches about the memorial covered a variety of topics from standing up to terrorism to the unity the Olympic Games can bring.

Finally, after the long day of ceremonies and speaking, Ungerleider and Ulich found themselves with only one final obligation: finishing documenting the opening of the memorial. The pair worked with chief operating officer Melanie Raffle and a video journalist for footage and pictures to be used in two future projects. First, a book will be released later this year by GSD about producing the Munich ’72 documentary film. Second, GSD will use the footage from the day for an online educational platform of the memorial.

Ungerleider, during his final media engagement of the day with ATR, reflected on the monument saying it’s a "good start" for a wound that may never fully be closed. A permanent space for mourning now exists, and all that were involved can exhale. The sense of accomplishment though, soon gave way to the greater mission of the site.

"I think it’s going to be a while before it really sinks in and people have closure," Ungerleider said. "It takes time. The good news is people from all walks of life have a place to grieve and mourn the loss and reflect.

"I think it’s a very important step."

Written by Aaron Bauer

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