Bavarian authorities will release all secret documents related to the attack on the 1972 Olympics in Munich, following accusations from the families of 11 Israeli athletes and coaches who died there.
Joachim Herrmann, the state security official in southern Germany, said on Thursday that Bavaria would declassify all documents related to the tragedy, while acknowledging that federal authorities may keep some documents confidential.
On September 5, 1972, eight terrorists from the Palestinian group Black September entered the Olympic Village, killed two members of the Israeli team and took nine others hostage, in hopes of freeing some prisoners. Israeli forces and two far left members are imprisoned in West German prisons.
Nine Israeli hostages, five terrorists and a West German policeman were killed in the failed rescue attempt.
The Games were suspended for 24 hours and a memorial service was held at the stadium.
Signs appeared on the stands: Stop Games (stop the Games), but the president of the International Olympic Committee, Avery Brundage, decided to allow the Olympics to continue.
Société Radio-Canada witnessed these events. Commentators Richard Garneau, Raymond Lebrun, Jean-Maurice Bailly and Pierre Dufault, as well as Lionel Duval, Gérard Potvin, André Hébert and Gilles Blanchard collaborated on the site.
Complaints about the culture of secrecy surrounding the documents threatened to overshadow the event planned for September to mark the 50th anniversary of the attack.
Some relatives of the victims have also demanded compensation from the German government, which has always been denied.
In 1972, 121 delegations were present in Munich. A total of 7134 athletes (6075 men and 1059 women) participated in the 195 events. Canada is representative of 220 athletes.
Until the end of the competitions, the media spent more time commenting on the drama than the Games.
Television gave the Olympics an unexpected shine that will never fade again.
Source: Radio-Canada
