Based on 1972
RUSSIAN CAGE GOLD UPHELD; U.S. TURNS DOWN SILVER (Continued on page 4)
REMEMBERING THE MUNICH 1972 OLYMPIC ATTACK
T
he Munich Olympic Games in 1972 were overshadowed by a horrific terrorist attack. Eleven Israelis were killed during the failed rescue operation. Forty years on, the survivors can hardly forget. Shaul Ladany’s house, in the small town of Omer in the Israeli Negev desert, appears much like a museum. The athlete’s large collection of trophies and medals are proudly displayed behind a glass cabinet. The walls of his home are covered in various awards and certificates, and among them are also memories of the Munich Olympic Games of 1972. Shaul Ladany has kept just about everything sentimental, including the tie in pastel tones, entrance tickets, photographs and his black mourning ribbon. He keeps the remnants of nostalgia together in an album, along with the many letters he’s received
2
from fans, even those with incomplete return addresses. “Dear Prof. Shaul Ladany, Olympic athlete, in Munich in 1972, Israel,” he reads aloud, laughing. “At that time I was not yet a professor,” he says. But the 36-year-old was the oldest athlete on the 1972 Israeli Olympic team. Terrorist attack in the Olympic village It was Shaul Ladany’s second time competing at the Olympic Games. Forty years later, the 76-year-old industrial engineer remembers the games as though they were only yesterday. He competed on September 3, and up until September 4 everything had been fine. That evening, he along with the entire Israeli delegation - had attended a musical event in Munich. But, in the early hours of the morning on September 5, Ladany was awoken by his friend with horrifying news: Arab terrorists had taken 11 members of the Israeli team hostage in the Olympic Vil-
lage. “I put on my shoes and, without thinking, went to the door of our apartment and looked down the hall,” he says. He could see three policemen and one policewoman standing in front of the apartment next to his. They were speaking to a man wearing a hat. “I stood there listening without a clue as to how dangerous this was. The policewoman asked the man in the hat to let the Red Cross in to assist the hostages. She told him: You should be more humane. He said: The Jews are not humane. The man in the hat didn’t notice me, so I retreated and closed the door.” Escaping Death As a child, Ladany was sent to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, and it was only by sheer luck that he survived the Holocaust. He remembers it all with remarkable clarity. And in Munich in 1972, Ladany’s apartment had, for some unknown reason, been spared by the terrorists. Just
down the hall, terrorists had taken his fellow athletes and coaches hostage, barricading themselves within their apartments. In the initial stages of the hostage takeover, two Israelis who had resisted had been shot dead by the terrorists. Ladany and his roommate, however, were able to escape to safety through a rear building exit. Olympic swimmer Shlomit Nir-Toor also can’t forget that dark September day. She was 19 at the time and competed in the 100- and 200-meters breaststroke at the Olympic Games. “I can’t say that I achieved an amazing result, but I was proud to represent my country. This was a great honor,” she says. The small Israeli team, donning their blue and white flags, had marched in front of some 60,000 excited spectators in the Olympic Stadium. NirToor had planned to return to Israel soon after her race so she could get married to her fiancé. But the head of the
Israeli team had requested she wait to travel back with an injured fellow athlete. And it was that fateful day that the Israeli team was attacked. Shlomit Nir-Toor, however, wasn’t taken hostage by the Palestinian terrorists, because she had been residing in another building allocated to women athletes. But the next day, she - along with other survivors - witnessed the hostages being taken to the helicopters. The last image: Bound hostages “I remember the last time we saw our friends,” says Nir-Toor. German authorities had taken the remaining Israeli team members and coaches to the ninth floor of the building. From the window, Nir-Toor watched as the two helicopters landed on the Olympic Village lawn. They were supposed to be taking the terrorists and the hostages to an airbase in Fürstenfeldbruck.
AS VOR RY
The last image: Bound hostages “We watched from the ninth floor window as the two buses arrived. Four blindfolded athletes with their hands tied together got off the first bus. “
“I put on my shoes and, without wasn’t taken hostage by the thinking, went Palestinian terrorists, because to the door of she had been residing in our apartment another building allocated to women athletes. But the next and looked she - along with other down the hall,” day, survivors - witnessed the down the hall, terrorists had taken his fellow athletes and coaches hostage, barricading themselves within their apartments. In the initial stages of the hostage takeover, two Israelis who had resisted had been shot dead by the terrorists. Ladany and his roommate, however, were able to escape to safety through a rear building exit. Olympic swimmer Shlomit Nir-Toor also can’t forget that dark September day. She was 19 at the time and competed in the 100- and 200-meters breaststroke at the Olympic Games. “I can’t say that I achieved an amazing result, but I was proud to represent my country. This was a great honor,” she says. The small Israeli team, donning their blue and white flags, had marched in front of some 60,000 excited spectators in the Olympic Stadium. NirToor had planned to return to Israel soon after her race so she could get married to her
wasn’t taken hostage by the Palestinian terrorists, because she had been residing in another building allocated to women athletes. But the next day, she - along with other survivors - witnessed the hostages being taken to the helicopters. The last image: Bound hostages “I remember the last time we saw our friends,” says Nir-Toor. German authorities had taken the remaining Israeli team members and coaches to the ninth floor of the building. From the window, Nir-Toor watched as the two helicopters landed on the Olympic Village lawn. They were supposed to be taking the terrorists and the hostages to an airbase in
hostages being taken to the helicopters. The last image: Bound hostages “I remember the last time we saw our friends,” says Nir-Toor. German authorities had taken the remaining Israeli team members and coaches to the ninth floor of the building. From the window, Nir-Toor watched as the two helicopters landed on the Olympic Village lawn. They were supposed to be taking the terrorists and the hostages to an airbase in Fürstenfeldbruck.
SURVIR’S STO-
“I remember the last time we saw our friends,” says Nir-Toor.
“I put on my shoes and, without thinking, went to the door of our apartment and looked down the hall,”
THE VICTIMS OF MUNICH...
T
he Munich Olympic Games in 1972 were overshadowed by a horrific terrorist attack. Eleven Israelis were killed during the failed rescue operation. Forty years on, the survivors can hardly forget. Shaul Ladany’s house, in the small town of Omer in the Israeli Negev desert, appears much like a museum. The athlete’s large collection of trophies and medals are proudly displayed behind a glass cabinet. The walls of his home are covered in various awards and certificates, and among them are also memories of the Munich Olympic Games of 1972. Shaul Ladany has kept just about everything sentimental, including the tie in pastel tones, entrance tickets, photographs and his black mourning ribbon. He keeps the remnants of nostalgia together in an album, along with the many letters he’s received
4
from fans, even those with incomplete return addresses. “Dear Prof. Shaul Ladany, Olympic athlete, in Munich in 1972, Israel,” he reads aloud, laughing. “At that time I was not yet a professor,” he says. But the 36-year-old was the oldest athlete on the 1972 Israeli Olympic team. Terrorist attack in the Olympic village It was Shaul Ladany’s second time competing at the Olympic Games. Forty years later, the 76-year-old industrial engineer remembers the games as though they were only yesterday. He competed on September 3, and up until September 4 everything had been fine. That evening, he along with the entire Israeli delegation - had attended a musical event in Munich. But, in the early hours of the morning on September 5, Ladany was awoken by his friend with horrifying news: Arab terrorists had taken 11 members of the Israeli team hostage in the Olympic Village. “I put on my shoes and, without thinking, went to the door
of our apartment and looked down the hall,” he says. He could see three policemen and one policewoman standing in front of the apartment next to his. They were speaking to a man wearing a hat. “I stood there listening without a clue as to how dangerous this was. The policewoman asked the man in the hat to let the Red Cross in to assist the hostages. She told him: You should be more humane. He said: The Jews are not humane. The man in the hat didn’t notice me, so I retreated and closed the door.” Escaping Death As a child, Ladany was sent to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, and it was only by sheer luck that he survived the Holocaust. He remembers it all with remarkable clarity. And in Munich in 1972, Ladany’s apartment had, for some unknown reason, been spared by the terrorists. Just down the hall, terrorists had taken his fellow athletes and coaches hostage, barricading themselves within their apartments. In the initial stages of the hostage takeover, two Israelis who had resisted had been shot dead by the terror-
ists. Ladany and his roommate, however, were able to escape to safety through a rear building exit. Olympic swimmer Shlomit Nir-Toor also can’t forget that dark September day. She was 19 at the time and competed in the 100- and 200-meters breaststroke at the Olympic Games. “I can’t say that I achieved an amazing result, but I was proud to represent my country. This was a great honor,” she says. The small Israeli team, donning their blue and white flags, had marched in front of some 60,000 excited spectators in the Olympic Stadium. NirToor had planned to return to Israel soon after her race so she could get married to her fiancé. But the head of the Israeli team had requested she wait to travel back with an injured fellow athlete. And it was that fateful day that the Israeli team was attacked. Shlomit Nir-Toor, however, wasn’t taken hostage by the Palestinian terrorists, because
she had been residing in another building allocated to women athletes. But the next day, she - along with other survivors - witnessed the hostages being taken to the helicopters. The last image: Bound hostages “I remember the last time we saw our friends,” says Nir-Toor. German authorities had taken the remaining Israeli team members and coaches to the ninth floor of the building. From the window, Nir-Toor watched as the two helicopters landed on the Olympic Village lawn. They were supposed to be taking the terrorists and the hostages to an airbase in Fürstenfeldbruck.
THE VICTIMS OF MUNICH....
she had been residing in another building allocated to women athletes. But the next day, she - along with other survivors - witnessed the hostages being taken to the helicopters. The last image: Bound hostages “I remember the last time we saw our friends,” says Nir-Toor. German authorities had taken the remaining Israeli team members and coaches to the ninth floor of the building. From the window, Nir-Toor watched as the two helicopters landed on the Olympic Village lawn. They were supposed to be taking the terrorists and the hostages to an airbase in Fürstenfeldbruck.
ists. Ladany and his roommate, however, were able to escape to safety through a rear building exit. Olympic swimmer Shlomit Nir-Toor also can’t forget that dark September day. She was 19 at the time and competed in the 100- and 200-meters breaststroke at the Olympic Games. “I can’t say that I achieved an amazing result, but I was proud to represent my country. This was a great honor,” she says. The small Israeli team, donning their blue and white flags, had marched in front of some 60,000 excited spectators in the Olympic Stadium. NirToor had planned to return to Israel soon after her race so she could get married to her fiancé. But the head of the Israeli team had requested she wait to travel back with an injured fellow athlete. And it was that fateful day that the Israeli team was attacked.
she had been residing in another building allocated to women athletes. But the next day, she - along with other survivors - witnessed the hostages being taken to the helicopters. The last image: Bound hostages “I remember the last time we saw our friends,” says Nir-Toor. German authorities had taken the remaining Israeli team members and coaches to the ninth floor of the building. From the window, Nir-Toor watched as the two helicopters landed on the Olympic Village lawn. They were supposed to be taking the terrorists and the hostages to an airbase in Fürstenfeldbruck.
The last image: Bound hostages
THE VICTIMS OF MUNICH...
ists. Ladany and his roommate, however, were able to escape to safety through a rear building exit. Olympic swimmer Shlomit Nir-Toor also can’t forget that dark September day. She was 19 at the time and competed in the 100- and 200-meters breaststroke at the Olympic Games. “I can’t say that I achieved an amazing result, but I was proud to represent my country. This was a great 5
OLYMPICS MASSACRE: MUNICH THE REAL STORY we saw our friends,� says NirToor. German authorities had taken the remaining Israeli team members and coaches to the ninth floor of the building. From the window, Nir-Toor watched as the two helicopters landed on the Olympic Village lawn. They were supposed to be taking the terrorists and the hostages to an airbase in Fßrstenfeldbruck.
6
The last image: Bound hostages
ists. Ladany and his roommate, however, were able to escape to safety through a rear building exit. Olympic swimmer Shlomit Nir-Toor also can’t forget that dark September day. She was 19 at the time and competed in the 100- and 200-meters breaststroke at the Olympic Games. “I can’t say that I achieved an amazing result, but I was proud to represent my country. This was a great
she had been residing in another building allocated to women athletes. But the next day, she - along with other survivors - witnessed the hostages being taken to the helicopters. The last image: Bound hostages “I remember the last time we saw our friends,” says Nir-Toor. German authorities had taken the remaining Israeli team members and coaches to the ninth floor of the building. From the window, Nir-Toor watched as the two helicopters landed on the Olympic Village lawn. They were supposed to be taking the terrorists and the hostages to an airbase in Fürstenfeldbruck.
Paymaster of 1972 Munich Massacre Terrorists
MUST NOT BE FORGOTTEN
7
CROSSWORD
PHYSICAL PLAYER
I
was very surprised,” Barnes says. “I had a feeling right then” that the U.S. would lose. “You’re going to play the Soviets, one of the most physical teams in the world, you want to take your most physical player.” His premonition proved correct. After a questionable ruling put more time on the clock and gave the Soviets two extra chances, a mistake by McMillen contributed to the decisive basket. In the most disputed finish in international basketball history, the Soviet Union stopped the U.S. streak of 63 straight wins and earned bragging rights in the athletic Cold War with a 51-50 victory. Afterward, the U.S. players spurned their silver medals. Four decades later, on the eve of the London Games, they are still seeking gold, citing the mishandling of the last three seconds. Their complaints overlook that they were out-coached and outplayed for most of the game. As Barnes’s Olympic omission suggests, the U.S. jeopardized its chances for gold long be-
BASKETBALL TURMOIL
T
8
he aftershocks of the tumultuous 1960’s reverberated as the U.S. prepared for the Munich Games. President Richard Nixon’s decision in May 1972, to mine North Vietnamese ports prompted nationwide protests. The same month, an as-
sassination attempt paralyzed presidential candidate George Wallace, the standard-bearer for racial segregation. In June, five men hired by Nixon’s re-election campaign broke into Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate complex in Washington. U.S. Olympic basketball was
in turmoil, hampered by power struggles at both the professional and amateur levels. The fledgling American Basketball Association was seeking to upstage the established NBA by signing college underclassmen, which reduced the pool of available amateurs. Following his junior year at
the University of Massachusetts, future Hall of Famer Julius Erving turned pro with the ABA’s Virginia Squires in 1971, forfeiting his Olympic eligibility. Two organizations were battling for the biggest plum in amateur basketball -- the right to choose the Olympic players and coach.