Munich Memorial Provides First Steps to Closure for Victims

(ATR) The first steps in closing an open wound for relatives of those killed in the Munich 1972 Olympic terrorist attack were taken today with the opening of a permanent memorial dedicated to the victims.

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 45-year anniversary of the attacks.

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."

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.

It didn't take long for visitors to the Olympic Park to begin to filter into the newly opened site. Many were drawn to a film capturing the day's events that is played on a loop.

After the ceremony, another memorial was held at the BMW Museum in Munich, where the honored guests spoke about the commemoration. Speeches about the memorial covered a variety of topics from standing up to terrorism to the unity the Olympic Games can bring.

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 more than 40-year quest for a permanent reminder of the events.

"For decades we repeated our plea but to no avail," Spitzer said. "It is hard to describe our deep emotions and satisfaction here today that the debt for our murdered loved ones was finally paid off with this beautiful and moving memorial."

IOC President Bach said in his speech that the attacks on the Munich Olympic Village were a "horrific attack on the heart of the Olympic Games". He said that the "need to honor those who are no longer with us" is one of the shared principles of humanity, which has manifested itself with this memorial.

"The Olympic Village is the true representation of our values," Bach said. "The spirit of the victims lives on in the minds and hearts of their fellow Olympians today. I know that no ceremony and no memorial can fill the void left by those whose lives were taken so violently. It is my sincere hope however that the memorial we opened this morning will be a symbol of our shared grief and a tool of education for our and future generations."

Many of the remarks given throughout the day touched on how the mistakes made during the attacks or in its immediate aftermath can never be forgiven. The nearly half a century long wait for recognition was addressed by President Rivlin, who said any apology comes "45 years too late".

President Steinmeir told attendees that the wounds caused by the attacks remain and are "deep and painful".

"It is high time and we owe it firstly to you, the relatives," Steinmeier said. "The Olympic Village became a place of Palestinian terrorists, a stage for their boundless hatred for Israel. It should never have happened."

Travel and accommodations provided by the Foundation for Global Sports Development

Written by Aaron Bauer in Munich

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