In the history of the modern Olympic Games there have been many scandals but only one terrorist massacre. The 1972 Games in Munich will forever be remembered because Palestinian terrorists murdered 11 Israeli athletes there in cold blood. But this summer when the Games reconvene in London there will be neither an official remembrance nor even a moment of silence in honor of the fallen Israelis. Jacques Rogge, the president of the International Olympic Committee, flatly denied requests from the State of Israel and members of the United States Congress for a moment of silence at the opening ceremonies in London. The reason for this refusal is clear. Any reminder of that historic crime would offend the vast majority of member nations that participate in the Games who don’t want any mention of an event that puts the Palestinians in a bad light.
This is an outrage that should not pass unnoticed by those who promote and profit from the two-week-long television program that mostly features competitions in sports few will care about during the rest of this or any other year. Rogge and his predecessors have always condemned the politicization of sports–the reason many in the Olympic movement give for choosing to forget about Munich. But the toxic mix of nationalism and athletics has always been at the heart of the Games. While the athletes who participate deserve both respect and admiration, the decision to ignore Munich is just the latest illustration of the moral bankruptcy of the Games. Though we will hear much about the “Olympic Spirit” during the endless promotion of this event, it is and always has been a gigantic fraud that has always preferred to appease tyrants and ignore crimes in the pursuit of building a global business brand.
The popularity of the Games is undeniable, and any effort to punish the IOC or even boycott the opening ceremonies over the issue of ignoring Munich is bound to fail. The people of the world want their bread and circuses, and if the prospect of honoring Adolf Hitler and the Nazis as the Olympics did in 1936, the Soviet Communism (1980) or the tyrants of Beijing (2008) could not derail the show, then it isn’t likely that many will care about sweeping the memory of Munich under the rug in London this year. Though President Jimmy Carter made the Soviets pay a price for their invasion of Afghanistan in 1980 when he ordered the boycott of the Moscow Olympics — one of the few things for which one of our worst presidents deserves credit — the Games are now too big a business to be affected, let alone stopped by moral considerations.
There is a popular mythology that has grown up about the moral value of this international sports tournament that was promoted by the skillful documentaries created by the late Bud Greenspan. But though the Games can be fun, Greenspan’s wide-eyed belief in the majesty of sports triumphing over intolerance and division was always pure baloney.
We cannot force the Games or the sports establishment to remember the 11 Israelis or even acknowledge their indifference to the massacre. But we can at least stop pretending there is anything happening in London this summer that has intrinsic or moral value and not simply sporting significance. The Olympics are the sports equivalent of the United Nations, a high-minded ideal that is, in practice, merely the assemblage of rogues who pervert the concept to pursue their own often scandalous objectives. Though you may like the show, the Games deserve our scorn, not our admiration.
Very well said, but you need to fix this typo: "The people of the world want their bread and circuses, and if the prospect of honoring Adolf Hitler and the Nazis as the Olympics did in 1936, the Soviet Communism (1980) or the tyrants of Beijing (2008) could [SHOULD BE: COULD NOT] derail the show, then it isn’t likely that many will care about sweeping the memory of Munich under the rug in London this year."
Amen, Amen, and AAAAAAAAAAAA-men!
I always make a point of rereading George Orwell's essay, "The Sporting Spirit," when the Olympic Games roll around.
Thank you for mentioning the Orwell essay. I had never read it, but enjoyed it thoroughly. No truer words….
I'm still thinking 50/50 the Games are either cancelled or curtailed by threats of over the top Muslim violence over (pick your outrage…Jews, Women, Halal food, conflicts with some holiday…)
The crime committed against the Israelis was and remains a powerful denial of what the Olympics stand for. The refusal of the committee to make the point and take a minute of silence every 4 years assert their lack of commitment to fundamental Olympic principles: n n"L'important dans la vie ce n'est point le triomphe, mais le combat, l'essentiel ce n'est pas d'avoir vaincu mais de s'être bien battu". n n "The important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle, the essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well". n nThe Israelis were denied their rights by coward Muslims. n n
Sad that a moment of silence in remembering Munich won't happen in London, but this is not a perfect world. I think Rogge and most of the rest of the IOC bureaucracy have all the charm of their UN counterparts, but I don't agree with the rest of the column or with most of the comments. Remembrance of Munich makes sense and should happen because the tragedy happened at the Olympics, but I suspect Rogge worries that doing so will open the floodgates, Yes, he's afraid of offending people, and that speaks against him, but he is also worried that there'll be calls for remembrance of Intifada, or the Armenian Genocide, or heaven only knows what. As to Brundage (another jerk to be sure), his action in '68 was not just a the-Games-must-go-on decision but the extension of what we honor in another context: We will not let these terrorist bastards win. And Carter's decision seems to me to have overstepped his presidential authority, which — again — is something we'd condemn in other contexts. Of the underlying cynicism: sure, sports are not mankind's highest achievement, but even with the inevitable cheating we're bound to see, there'll be many moments in which competition will express something fine about us.
Get a life Tobin. In this world people are being slaughtered every day and no one outside of their immediate famlies and friends gives a damn. How many millions have died in the Congo this time around? Five, six million, and no less cruelly than what happened in the Holocaust. And speaking of victims, let's not forget the 18,000 Lebanese and Palestinians who were killed by the IDF in the first weeks of June, 1982, whose 30th anniversary the world will surely forget next month
Jonathan's bang-on regarding the principle-free kow-towing poltroons of the lympics committee. You, on the other hand, are another sorry troll trying to obfuscate a point with other issues and outright lies.
To put things in perspective, the organizers of the 24 Hours of Le Mans refused to halt the race, much less cancel the event, when 80 people, mostly spectators, were killed in a deadly crash. "The show must go on." n nThat said, as Jonathan suggests, it's not so much the Olympic ideal itself, but what's been made of it, which makes the event the travesty it is. I think the Olympics is another example of the corrupting influence, by Big Media, of everything it touches. It was Big Media which campaigned for the end of amateurism, which of course had its own vices but which nowhere nearly approached those of professional sport. I think this is the cause of the rot that defines today's Olympics. n nAs for the attitude of its organizers vis-à-vis a remembrance of the Munich Massacre, I think it's the élite's dismissive sort of anti-Semitism, which just adds to the Olympic compost heap. Why should they remember Munich, when they're trying their best to forget the Holocaust or that Jews exist at all? n
Well said. Other 'international' events of one kind or another are similarly contaminated by the multiple evils that abound. The Muslim clergy and leadership being the primary evil these days. But the UN itself is the biggest of the damned international threats that are 'respected' by the nuts in the White House and State Department, independent of which party is in office. But the "prize' giving organizations and governments are the worst. Add the Noble prizes to the list – particularly the 'Peace' prize, misnamed as so many people, events, and groups are mislabeled to suit various agendas.
After reading the first stanza of your article, I was annoyed by your ignorant comments and will refuse to read the rest of the article. The mention of the only terrorist act of the Olympic Games being the munich massacre; and the Israel athletes should have their own moment in the London Olympics. This just sounds like the comments of a racist; the Atlanta Olympic Games bombing doesn't count because no jews were killed; and the Olympic Committee is anti-semitic because they will rather focus on positive thinking of a world's sporting competition. nIf the London Olympics were to have a moment of silence for the 11 Israeli's, then they should have a silence for the people that have been killed at other Olympics; do not forget all those who didnt have a chance of going to the Olympics because of political turmoil; so the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Olympics will be silent.
Excellent of you to point this out. Mr Tobin, who is reputed to have spent considerable time in the USA,. n nHe would do well to make amendment to his essay
Instead of complaining about what every other person is doing wrong and making an issue of an old event; write articles that will try spark the spirits of healthy competition amongst the people of the world. By clearly stating Palestinian Terrorist, you are straight away condoning in multimedia and creating reflection of Palestine and begging the world for Jewish sympathy. Many leaders of the past have used such techniques to impose hate on those who do not agree with them, for example Hitler used such propaganda to gain support for his campaign. Tobin's racial opinions and others like him, no matter whom they support or condone, are the people in this world picking at the scabs of the past and preventing world peace. nThis article was brought to you by a human being who is a proud patriotic citizen of the Earth
So, a commemoration by the Olympics of an execution of Israelis at the Olympics is an "old event" whose commemoration would create a (negaive, I hope?) "reflection of Palestine" and is a form of a "begging the world for Jewish sympathy." Moreover, this would "impose hate" and "for example" would resemble Hitler's strategies. It would prevent "world peace" too. Wow! Do I need to point out the obscene inanity in this or can you manage? n nYour last sentence should read: "I'm a confused, hate-filled antisemitic cretin who brings shame and dersion on all terrestrial life forms."
Abe, don't be the type of ashhat who runs around accusing everybody of anti-Semitism. because they don't agree with whatever … Save your ammunition for the people who are actual anti-Semites or risk being the boy who cried "wolf'.
If comparing a commemoration of the murders of innocent Jews to Hitlerian propaganda doesn't strike you as anti-Semitic then you're going to have to try thinking a little harder. And if that's not a big enough clue, there's this: Don't mention that the terrorists were Palestinians; people might sympathize with Jews! n nReally?
“…murdered 11 Israeli athletes in cold blood.” Actually, the Palestinian terrorists murdered them in the middle of a fire fight with the Bavarian police. This is not what is normally thought of as “cold-blooded murder” which is premeditated. The idea was to exchange the Israeli athletes for Palestinian prisoners. Unless the writer can prove that the intention had been to murder them all along, this would constitute Murder 2, as they say on Law and Order, or possibly even manslaughter.
Nonsense. "Cold-blooded" does not mean premeditated. It means without mercy. What is your point?
The Olympics gains nothing by any involvement with a remembrance of the massacre. n nNobody in the entire world benefits by something that is guaranteed to bring out the crazies and the blind zealots on both sides of the I/P divide. n nand Mr Tobin's remarks here serve as a minor example of the gratuitous prickly advocacy that is best avoided.
But it is ok with you to CATER TO the prickly involvement of Muslim demands and gratuities. n nReminds me of that old joke about hell and the hell-bound sinner who was given a choice of 3 doors, Monte Hall style – you don't get to see what is behind the door first. But there were sounds to be heard. Satan escorted him to each door so he could hear the sounds, and needless to say, the first two doors had horrendous sounds emanating. one I remember was prominently screaming, chains clanking and other harsh "mechanical" type sounds, whip sounds, etc… unnerving just to listen to it. nDoor #3 was quiet whisperings whisperings or murmurings – the ill-fated sinner instantly imagined "cocktail parties". nBut in true Monte Hall fashion – or Alfred Hitchcock and Rod Serling, much to his dismay, he found himself pushed into a room, the room of his own free choosing, that was lip deep with a pool of disgusting sewage, all the people in the room had their heads tilted as high as possible to keep the stuff out of mouth and nose – and all were so carefully whispering, "Don't make waves. Don't make waves. Don't make waves!"
—But it is ok with you to CATER TO the prickly involvement of Muslim demands and gratuities. — n nNo Rose it is not OK with me to cater to either group of extremists. The swine who believe that Israel must be wiped out and the swine who believe that Israel must incorporate the West Bank must not be catered to. Both groups must be marginalized and forced from their positions if they can not be persuaded.
They've never truly separated the games from the original intent of an obscene celebration of ancient Greek false gods, anyway – while yet obscuring the true nature of that worship – and much of the recent games does more to reflect "world" attitudes than to celebrate Athletic prowess, anyway. n nI find nothing enjoyable about them in recent years. The judges no longer even make a pretense of their national prejudices. And the "entertainment" parts are….. not.
Rose—– perhaps their gods and their celebration of them is something that's neither your business nor something upon which you should offer public comment. n nHad you been raised as an American citizen, you might have learned the value of a decent reticence. Some of us have believe in some form of deity or other and we have little appreciation for your gratuitous criticism. n n n n
Ha ha ha ha ha! What a perfect prat you make, Mike. This is an act, right?
I don't think so, it appears that Rose has serious problems
You don't think you're being sarcastic? So you think you're a prat…and I'm inclined to agree. And you think Rose has problems? Go home, Paulbot-troll.
Sure, Abe. We Paulbots take orders from Muslim Brotherhoodies such as yourself…..and none of us would hesitate to obey you or issue Letters of Marque and Reprisal calling for capture of your camel and both of your donkeys.
Great article Jonathan. Exposes the sham feel-good internationalist emotionalism of this expensive and increasingly pointless exercise that the Olympic Games have become. This commercialized, politicised and thoroughly corrupt event unfortunately prevents the emergence of a needed international competition between decent nations and with genuine amateurs.
nThe massacre of the Israeli athletes at the Olympic Games in Munich by the "Palestine Liberation Organization (P.L.O.)" was a complete success as the founders of the P.L.O., Gamal Nasser of Egypt and the Soviet Union, were concerned, for it made the use of "Palestinian" for Arab haters of Jews, instead of "Jew" common. n"Palestine" was synonymous with "land of the Jews" from the time that the Roman Emperor Hadrian in 135 A.D., after defeating the last Jewish rebellion under Bar Kochba, changed the name of Judea to "Palestina." (Hadrian outlawed Judaism and renamed Jerusalem "Aelia Capitolina," "Aelius" being his gens name.) That is why after World War I, in 1922, Great Britain was awarded the "Palestine Mandate" to be the "homeland of the Jews." "Palestinian" was synonymous with "Jew." Those now miscalled "Palestinian," with all their phoney history and propaganda, are Arabs who hate Jews.