IOC not to mark 40th anniversary of Munich massacre

The IOC has ruled out marking the 40th anniversary of the Munich massacre at the London Olympics opening ceremony but will visit the airfield where some Israeli team members were killed, it said on Saturday.

International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge rejected calls for an official commemoration of the 1972 Munich Games attack during Friday’s curtain raiser, a standing request of the families of the 11 Israeli Olympic team members who died.

Rogge said there would be the traditional private commemoration with the Israeli Olympic Committee and the IOC but no minute’s silence at the opening of the Games.

Boycotting Israelis?

Any athlete found to have deliberately boycotted competing against an Israeli opponent at the London Olympics will be punished, said Rogge.

The 70-year-old Belgian was reacting after Egyptian athletes were called upon — as have other Arab athletes — to avoid competing against Israelis at the Games which get underway next Friday.

“Definitely the reaction of the IOC would be the one that we are going to consider the practical situation,” said Rogge.

“If an athlete is genuinely injured or ill, then of course it is understandable.

“But we will examine every case very thoroughly and will examine every case with an independent medical team, and if the medical team does not ratify the decision of the first doctor, then the athlete will be punished.”

Israel send agents

Fearing a Munich-style attack on its athletes, Israel has sent Mossad agents to hunt down Iran-backed terrorists in Europe, a media report said on Su­nday. “Israeli agents fearing an “anniversary attack” on Israel’s athletes at the Oly­mpic Games in London are hunting Iranian-backed terr­orists in Europe,” the Sunday Times reported.