(ATR) The first permanent memorial to the victims of the 1972 Olympic terrorist attack opened in Munich on Sept. 6.
The memorial is in the Munich Olympic Park, between the apartments that were once the Olympic Village and the Olympic Stadium. A private ceremony was held for the relatives of the victims, and was attended by IOC President Thomas Bach, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
During the 1972 Olympics, Palestinian terrorists known as Black September stormed the Olympic Village taking members of the Israeli team hostage. All 11 Israeli hostages were eventually murdered. Two of the terrorists were killed. Three others were apprehended but later released in negotiations during a hijacking of a Lufthansa flight months later.
Impetus for the Munich project began after Bach was elected IOC President in late 2013. Bach and the IOC worked with the Bavarian government along with the Foundation for Global Sports Development in creating the memorial.
A number of early revisions to the project, from the design to the location, led to some delays. After setting an opening day of August 2016, the site opened a year later on the 45th anniversary of the attacks.
Click here to view a photo gallery from the day's events.
Dr. Steven Ungerleider, vice-president of GSD, told Around the Rings seeing the memorial in person was "a feeling of completion and a sense of accomplishment" for those who worked on the project. He did not believe that the three-year process ever felt unending, or that the project would never be finished.
"I’m glad the Olympic Committee and the Bavarian government and the Israeli team came together, and I think it’s the most important step that’s ever been taken to address and acknowledge," Ungerleider said. "It is going to be a while before it sinks in and people have closure. It doesn’t happen overnight and takes time."
After the ceremony, another memorial was held at the BMW Museum in Munich, where the honored guests spoke about the commemoration.
Ankie Spitzer told assembled guests that the families of those killed in Munich had "very mixed emotions" seeing the memorial. Spitzer is the wife of Andre Spitzer, one of the murdered Israelis, and has become the de facto spokesperson for the families of the Munich Massacre victims. She said that the memorial is the culmination of a decades-long quest for a permanent reminder of the events.
Written by Aaron BauerandGerard Farek
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