The Olympics' darkest day

I don't speak Hebrew. But I'm sure that, had I heard wrestling referee Yossef Gutfreund's scream at around 4:30 a.m. Munich time on September 5, 1972, I would have known that something horrible had happened or was happening. 

He'd been asleep after enjoying an evening out with other Israelis. What wakened him was a scratching noise at the door of his apartment. He went to investigate and found the door beginning to open and masked men with guns on the other side.

He screamed in Hebrew, "Danger, boys! Terrorists!" then threw his 300-pound body against the door, hoping it would stop the men from forcing their way in. His scream gave his roommate, weightlifting coach Tuvia Sokolovsky, time to smash a window and escape.

A wrestling coach, Moshe Weinberg, joined in the fight. The terrorists' response was to shoot him through the cheek and then force him to find more hostages.

Weinberg lied as they passed the door of Apartment Two, saying, there were no Israelis there. He led them to Apartment Three instead. Apartment Three housed six wrestlers and weightlifters. Perhaps Weinberg thought they would be strong enough to fight off the terrorists. But they were all asleep, and men with guns usually have an advantage over someone who's been suddenly awakened.

On the way back to the coaches' apartment, the wounded Weinberg again attacked the terrorists. Gad Tsobari, one of the wrestlers, seized the opportunity and escaped through the underground parking garage. Weinberg was able to knock one terrorist unconscious and slash at another with a fruit knife. 

He was no match for the gunmen. They shot him to death. 

A weightlifter, Yossef Romano -- who'd fought in Israel's Six-Day War -- also attacked the intruders and wounded one before he, too, was shot and killed. 

These men were not going to go down without a fight. 

With the nine hostages that were left, the gunmen went back to Apartment One. In addition to Yossef Gutfreund, they were: 
Kehat Shorr, shooting coach
Amitzur Shapira, track and field coach
Andre Spitzer, fencing master.
Yakov Springer, weightlifting judge
Eliezer Halfin, wrestler
Mark Slavin, wrestler
David Berger, weightlifter (who held dual citizenship with the US and Israel)
Ze'ev Friedman, weightlifter. 

Who were these terrorists, and why had they picked the Olympics for their heinous acts?

They were eight members from a Palestinian group, Black September.  Their demands? The release of 234 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel, and two founders of the German left-wing group Red Army Faction. 

They allegedly got into the Munich Olympic Village by scaling a six-and-a-half foot chain link fence with the help of athletes who, themselves, were sneaking back into the Olympic Village. Since the eight terrorists were dressed in track suits, the athletes had no way of knowing who they were helping into the village. I guess they thought, "Oh, you're trying to get past security just like we are. We scratch your back, you'll scratch ours." I wonder how horrified they were when they found out exactly who they had helped over the fence. 

In Apartment Two, Shaul Ladany, an Israeli racewalker who'd also survived the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, heard the screams from next door, leapt from his second-story balcony, and ran to the American dormitory.  The other seven people (four Israeli athletes, two team doctors, and their team manager) hid in the building and eventually escaped.

Tense negotiations began and continued for the next several hours. The Black September terrorists, to show that they meant business, threw Moshe Weinberg's bloodied body out the door of the dormitory. 
American marathon runner Frank Shorter (who would later win the gold medal in the event) told Sports Illustrated, "Imagine those poor guys . . . Every five minutes a psycho with a machine gun says, 'Let's kill 'em now," and someone else says, 'No, let's wait five minutes.' How long could you stand that?" 

But elsewhere, the rest of the athletes carried on, and the events carried on, until 12 hours after Moshe Weinberg's murder, the Games were suspended. 

At 4:30 p.m., a squad of West German police -- regular Munich police officers, with no training in combat or in hostage rescue -- arrived at the Olympic Village with a plan to crawl down from the ventilation shafts at the dormitory and kill the terrorists. 

But, while the police were getting into position, members of the media -- in a stunning act of either ignorance or outright stupidity -- filmed the police getting into position and broadcast the images on live television, which the terrorists were watching. After the terrorists' spokesman threatened to kill two hostages, the police backed off. 

When confronted with the terrorists' demands, Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir's response was swift and to the point: "No." Israel's policy was, no negotiations with terrorists, period, because any negotiations would leave Israel open to possible future attacks. Can anyone blame Israel, given the history of the Jews, especially the history of the concentration camps of only 30 years ago? 

So the West German authorities came up with another plan.

The terrorists, at 6 p.m., demanded to be taken to Cairo. Originally, the West Germans offered to transport terrorists and hostages to Cairo by plane. West German police, disguised as crew, would overpower the terrorists and free the hostages. 

Then the West German police backed out, saying the plan was too dangerous. 

But the authorities pretended the agreement was still in place. They sent two helicopters to take terrorists and hostages to a NATO airbase at Furstenfeldbruck. 

A third helicopter, containing West German authorities, preceded them to the airport. Their new plan:  an armed assault in which terrorists would be killed and hostages would be freed. Sixteen West German police, dressed as the flight crew, would be inside a Boeing 727 jet. Two of the terrorists were to be allowed to inspect the plane. Five sharpshooters were also positioned in strategic areas at the airport. 

And at the last minute, the sixteen West German police abandoned the plan, without telling the people in charge and leaving only the five sharpshooters to take out eight terrorists. 

When the helicopters landed and the two terrorists boarded the 727 and found it empty, they realized they'd walked into a trap. They ran back to the helicopters. 

In the shooting and chaos that followed, two terrorists and a West German policeman were shot and killed. Then a terrorist turned his assault rifle on one helicopter and murdered four hostages, then threw a grenade inside, incinerating the bodies. 

A second terrorist at the other helicopter took a machine gun and shot the remaining hostages; their bodies would show that they'd been shot at least four times each. 

While initial reports said that the hostages were alive and the terrorists were dead, the horrible truth slowly came out. 

ABC's Olympic coverage, anchored by Jim McKay, had gone on the air that afternoon with the reports of the hostage taking at the Olympic Village. All evening, and through the night, ABC Sports president Roone Arledge spoke into McKay's earpiece, giving him the events as they unfolded.  

At 3:24 a.m. Munich time, McKay, summoning all the professionalism he could, spoke:

"You know, when I was a kid, my father used to say, 'Our greatest hopes and our worst fears are seldom realized.' Our worst fears have been realized tonight. They've now said that there were eleven hostages. Two were killed in their rooms yesterday morning, nine were killed at the airport tonight. They're all gone."

What more could you say or do after hearing those chilling words?

First, Olympic competition was suspended for the first time in modern Olympic history. Then, on September 6th, the Olympic Stadium, which was supposed to be the scenes of joyous victories and celebrations, became the site of a memorial service for the slain athletes.  The President of the International Olympic Committee, Avery Brundage, spoke, praising the strength of the Olympic movement. But when he compared the attack on the Israelis with the arguments on professionalism creeping into the Games and the ban of Rhodesia (after protests by black African athletes), and barely mentioned the murdered athletes, many listeners were outraged. 

Later that day, the IOC decided, the Games would go on. The Israeli government and their team manager agreed. For the Israeli athletes, though, the Games were over. They withdrew and left Munich on September 6th, right after the memorial service. Jewish athletes were placed under guard, and Mark Spitz, who'd just won his seventh gold medal in swimming, left Munich during the crisis because of fear that, as a prominent Jew, he might become a target. While many athletes did remain, several chose to leave, their desire to compete destroyed. 

The 1972 Olympic Games had as their motto, Die Heiteren Spiele, "the cheerful Games". They desperately wanted to erase the image of the last games held on German soil: in Berlin, in 1936, under the reign of Adolf Hitler. 

Those "cheerful Games", unfortunately, turned tragic.

September 5th and 6th, 1972, 50 years ago, still remain the darkest days in Olympic history.

Just my .04, adjusted for inflation.

  

Two vaults, two outcomes

On July 23, 1996, American gymnast Kerri Strug, competing in the Atlanta Olympic Games, sprinted down a vault runway and launched herself into the air.

When she landed, she badly injured her foot.

Believing that she needed to vault again for Team USA to win the team gold medal -- and told by her coach, Bela Karolyi, that she needed to "shake it off" -- she sprinted back down that runway, launched herself in the air, and this time, landed, held her balance on one foot, and saluted the judges.

Then she collapsed onto the mat in pain. 

Team USA had the gold medal, the first team gymnastics gold ever.

Hooray for the USA!  Hooray for Kerri! What grit, courage, and bravery, to push through the pain for her team! 

Fast forward 25 years. 

On July 27, 2021, American gymnast Simone Biles, competing in the Tokyo Olympic Games, sprinted down a vault runway and launched herself into the air.

While in the air, she realized that she didn't know where she was. She had what in gymnastics is called "the twisties." She had no idea of her body position in the air, and when you're a gymnast, that is dangerous.

Through sheer grit and athleticism, she landed her vault.

Then she had a conversation with her coaches. 

Then she took off her bar grips, which she'd put on to compete in the uneven bars, hugged her teammates, and sat down. 

The news broke moments later:  Simone Biles, the best gymnast in the world, had withdrawn from the team competition. 

The remaining gymnasts, Sunisa Lee, Jordan Chiles, and Grace McCallum, stepped up and won the silver team medal for Team USA. The Russian team, competing under the name "Russian Olympic Committee" due to a doping scandal by other Russian athletes, took the team gold for the first time since 1992.

Afterwards, Biles explained that she was not in the right head space and feared that she would cost Team USA any chance for a medal, so it was best for her to withdraw. She also said that she trusted her teammates to do the job. 

And instead of leaving the arena, she stayed in her sweats, gave chalk to her teammates, gave hugs and encouragement, and was the first one to go and congratulate the Russian team for winning the gold medal.

Immediately, the social media sphere lit up, with both commendation and condemnation.

"Simone did the right thing."
"Simone let her team down."
"Simone could have seriously injured herself." 

"Simone should have stayed home and given someone else the chance to compete!"

Many condemners trotted out Kerri Strug's 1996 vault as an example of grit, courage, and pushing through. "Kerri didn't let her team down like Simone did!"

A Twitterer commented that "the team lost". To the reply, "The team won a silver medal without her; that speaks to their talent," the Twitterer answered, "Silver medal. The first loser." Then he posted a video of Kerri Strug's 1996 vault with the comment,"Now that's bravery. That's putting the team first. Your 'silver medal stance' is a loser attitude. The US Olympic team didn't go there to 'win' second. Anything short of gold is failure."

I'm very glad that this person is not Simone's coach. 

In 1996, Kerri Strug felt that she had to push through to win a gold medal. It turned out that Kerri didn't need to do that vault. The US would have won gold without it. 

What the general public didn't know at the time was that Kerri Strug, and the rest of the Magnificent Seven, the Fierce Five, and the Final Five (the nicknames given to Team USA in 1996, 2012, and 2016 respectively) were the products of an abusive coaching system where injuries were either ignored or not taken seriously, emotional abuse was rampant, and their team doctor was a child molester.

In fact, a photo from the 1996 Olympics shows an injured Kerri Strug being helped off the floor by Bela Karolyi . . . straight into the arms of Larry Nassar, who was convicted of sexual assault in 2018. 

I don't know if Nassar abused any of the team members in 1996. We do know that he abused the team members of the 2012 and 2016 team, along with nearly two hundred other women. Simone Biles is one of the women he abused. She stated in an interview that she's the last survivor of Larry Nassar's abuse to be competing, and as long as she's around, USA Gymnastics, the governing body of the sport, would not be able to sweep abuse under the rug. 

Kerri Strug probably felt that she could not say "no" to her coach, that she had to push through for that gold medal. For all intents and purposes, she didn't have a choice.

On July 23, 1996, Kerri Strug didn't have a choice but to run on an injured ankle lest she risk the wrath of her coach.

On July 27, 2021, Simone Biles had a choice, and she said, no. It is not safe for me to compete. 

Those that believe she let down her team, that she is a "quitter", she is "selfish", she is "a sociopath" (that latter comment is from Charlie Kirk, president of Turning Point USA), let me ask you: are you willing to pay her medical bills if anything happens to her? If she breaks her neck like Russian gymnast Elena Mukhina did in 1980 and American gymnast Julissa Gomez did in 1988?  

Elena Mukhina lived as a paraplegic until her death in 2006.

Julissa Gomez lived as a quadriplegic in a coma until her death in 1991.

The day after Simone Biles withdrew from the team competition, she also withdrew from the all-around. It's uncertain whether she will compete in the individual apparatus events. 

I'm disappointed that I will not see her compete in the all-around. I'm sad that she did not compete in the rest of the team competition.

But Simone Biles does not owe me or anyone else an explanation or justification for her decisions. Simone Biles is not obligated to display herself for our entertainment. If she does not feel safe competing, whether it be for physical reasons, mental reasons, or both, she has the absolute right to say, "No, I'm not going to do it."

Sometimes, a coach may need to give gentle encouragement or a dose of tough love to an athlete so that they can compete. 

Sometimes, a coach needs to empower the athlete to make the choice whether or not to compete. 

Kerri Strug did not have that choice in 1996.

Simone Biles had it in 2021, and exercised it.

The outcome for Kerri's vault was a gold medal, and a serious injury.

The outcome for Simone's vault was a decision not to risk serious injury, physically or mentally.

I honor Simone for her choice.

It's time we give it to our athletes.

They deserve it.

Just my .04, adjusted for inflation.

Underdog Olympics

One thing that Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, knows how to do is throw a party.

So when the loudspeakers blared the opening notes of the appropriately selected song "Brazil" and the audience roared its welcome, it should have come as no surprise that the flagbearer of the Brazilian Olympic team danced into Maracana Stadium.

I didn't stay up to see the entire Opening Ceremonies.  I did watch the Parade of Nations, which to me, is one of the best and most intriguing part of the Olympics. I enjoy seeing the outfits bedecking each nation's team members.  (In the case of the flagbearer from Tonga, more people enjoyed the fact that his chest was not bedecked in a national outfit.)

In the days leading up to these Games, I've seen speculation that they might be canceled, that Rio just wasn't ready for the Olympics.  I've heard about the raw sewage in the water.  I've heard about the poor Australians and their problems in the Olympic Village -- blocked toilets, a fire, and theft.  The host of this Olympics is an interim president.  The current president of Brazil is being impeached. And the budget of the Opening Ceremonies was cut.  Severely.

So, Rio resorted to what it knew how to do best:  Music, dancing, and color.  They channeled the energy that is Rio into Maracana Stadium.

People love the story of an underdog.  With an impeached president, a limited budget, and sanitation problems facing these Olympics, perhaps the city of Rio could be cast in the role of underdog.

I think that's one reason I like the Parade of Nations.  When the athletes march in, the commentators will often find a story about one or two of the athletes to humanize the representatives of that particular country.  Such as, the fact that Vietnam may have the chance to win its first Olympic gold medal, ever.  (They did.  Vinh Xuan Hoang won in the 10-meter air pistol event.)  Or, the triplets from Estonia -- Leila, Liina, and Lily Luik -- who will all compete in the marathon.  Their slogan?  "Trio to Rio."  We hear about such people, and we may think, "Nice story, but can they win?"  Thus, they become an underdog, and most people have a soft spot in their hearts for underdogs.

Before the audience roared their welcome to the Brazilian Olympic team, they paid tribute to who are, perhaps, the ultimate "underdogs" in these games.  They are ten athletes, five from South Sudan, two from Syria, and two from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, competing as members of the Refugee Olympic Team.  Their handle on social media is #teamrefugee, and they were greeted with a standing ovation.

The underdogs, more than anyone, probably appreciate the Olympic creed:  "The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the more important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle.  The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well."

Rio, at the moment, is in the "fighting" stage.  According to one news commentator, Rio's answer to their critics will be to put on a good show.

So, crank up your bossa nova and brush up on your samba moves.  Rio de Janeiro is throwing a party and they have invited the world.

Let the Games begin!

Ole!

Just my .04, adjusted for inflation.