2012 organisers will not commemorate Munich massacre victims
July 30, 2010 08:00Israel's IOC delegate has confirmed there will not be a memorial for the Munich massacre victims at the opening ceremony of London 2012.
Alex Gilady, who is also a member of the IOC's London 2012 Co-ordination Committee, did confirm, however, that the Israel Olympic Committee will be hosting a reception to mark the 40th anniversary in which 11 of the Israeli Olympic delegation were killed during the 1972 Munich Games.
Gilady said: "There will be no memorial during the opening ceremony, as there was no memorial between 1976 and 2008. Those who are pushing it are continuing in the wrong path. As always, like the
destiny of our people, we
will be mixing happiness with sadness.
"2012 will be a very special event for Israel. It will be
60 years since we first competed in an Olympics, 40 years since Munich and 20 years since we first won our first Olympic medal."
The Israeli Olympic Committee will commemorate the 11 killed in Munich in a traditional reception with both families and IOC high officials in attendance.
Sir Keith Mills, deputy chairman of LOCOG, vowed in April that the organising committee would "find a way of incorporating a commemoration into the Games. Not just in memory of those who were killed but also for the victims of other tragedies, such as the terrorist act at Atlanta," he said.
He did, however, admit at the time that, "the details still need to be discussed".
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