Everyone’s On Board for a Moment of Silence Commemorating Munich 11, But Not the IOC

Almost every politician and public figure has signed on for the push to have a moment of silence at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. Everyone except the head of the IOC, that is.

Started by JCC Rockland, the petition for a moment of silence now has more than 100,000 signatures from around the world.

President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, the U.S. Senate, the German Bundestag, the Canadian and Australian parliaments, Australia Prime Minister Julia Gillard, 50 members of the British Parliament and many more have voiced their opinion that the opening ceremony should have a moment of silence to commemorate the 11 Israeli Olympic athletes who were murdered at the 1972 Games.

Forty years ago, a terrorist group called Black September kidnapped 11 Israeli athletes and coaches participating in the Olympics. There was a botched rescue attempt and they were all murdered.

Nonetheless, IOC President Jacques Rogge has decided against honoring them at the London Olympics this year. He claims that it would not be appropriate at the opening ceremony, but that he will honor them at other events where he feels it is more appropriate.

  11, 1972, atheletes, coaches, IOC, israeli, jcc, jcc rockland, jewish, killed, minute, minute of silence, moment, munich 11, olympic games, olympics, petition, pressure, push, refuse, Rockland, signature, silence