On Tuesday, Israeli athletes, officials, and prominent figures including the mayor of Paris and International Olympic Committee (IOC) representatives gathered to honor the Israeli Olympic team members tragically killed by Palestinian gunmen during the 1972 Munich Olympics.
Eleven Israeli athletes were murdered in a brutal attack on the Olympic village, which was poorly secured at the time.
IOC President Thomas Bach described September 5, 1972, as "the darkest day in Olympic history" during a solemn ceremony held at the Israeli embassy amid the Paris Olympics. "Everything was shattered with the horrific terrorist attack on the Israeli Olympic team 52 years ago," he stated.
Originally planned to be held outside Paris City Hall, the memorial was relocated to the heavily fortified Israeli embassy due to increased geopolitical tensions related to Israel's ongoing conflict in Gaza.
"The pain remains eternal," Israeli President Isaac Herzog conveyed via video link. "I'll never forget the tears, the shock... the Olympics, which once symbolized joy, turned into tragedy." The Munich attack, carried out by the Palestinian militant group Black September, shocked the world and was broadcast live to millions of viewers.
* Reuters contributed to this article.
