Israel competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany, which began on August 26. On September 5 and 6, in the Munich massacre, 11 members of the Israeli delegation—5 athletes, 2 referees, and 4 coaches (names bolded on this page)—were taken hostage by Palestine Liberation Organization terrorists and murdered. The remainder of the team left Munich on September 7.
Shaul Ladany, a Holocaust survivor, competed in the 50-kilometer walk. He had been imprisoned in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp as a child, and wore a Star of David on his warm-up jersey. When he was congratulated by locals on his fluent German, he responded: "I learned it in Bergen-Belsen". He survived the Munich massacre by jumping off a balcony.
Results
Referees
The following nominated referees and judges were in the delegation:
- Yossef Gutfreund — wrestling
- Yakov Springer – weightlifting
Coaches and officials
The following coaches and officials were in the delegation:
- Shmuel Lalkin — Chef De Mission
- Micha Shamban — presumably deputy of Chef De Mission
- Eliyahu Friedlender - sailing team manager
- Amitzur Shapira — athletics coach
- Kehat Shorr — shooting coach
- Tuvia Sokolovsky — weightlifting coach
- Andre Spitzer — fencing coach
- Moshe Weinberg — wrestling coach
- Itzhac Aldubi - chairman of ASA (Academic Sport Association)
- Werner Nachmann
- Duel Parrack
- Josef Szwec
- Kurt Weigl
References
