The eleven Israelis murdered by the Black September Palestinian terror group at the 1972 Munich Olympics will be honored at a ceremony during the 2016 summer Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil.
A ceremony is scheduled to take place on August 14 at the Rio City Hall, held by the Israeli Olympic Committee and the Israeli consulate.
Brazilian Folha de S. Paulo newspaper reported that the widows of Yosef Romano and Andre Spitzer will light eleven candles at the ceremony.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) also announced that a special area in the Olympic Village will be set up to remember all the Olympians who have died, including the Israeli athletes.
Families of the eleven murdered Israelis lobbied hard for a minute’s silence to be included at the opening ceremony, however, the IOC decided instead to dedicate a “moment of reflection” commemorating all perished Olympians during the closing ceremony.
“As Brazilian, Jewish and Zionist, we are deeply moved by the International Olympic Committee initiative. The fact it will happen in Brazil is very remarkable to all Brazilian Jews,” said Osias Wurman, Israel’s honorary consul in Rio, in an interview to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
“We must remind the world that killing Israeli Jews was not a practice restricted to Munich. Nowadays, the suicide terror once again stabs innocent Jews in the land of Israel,” Wurman said.
The summer Olympics are to be held August 5-21 in Rio de Janeiro. So far, 20 Israeli athletes have qualified for the Rio games. Thus far, Israel has won seven Olympic medals including five bronze, one silver and one gold.