Thaindian News

Auckland, Oct 3(ANI): Two survivors of the 1972 Munich Olympics terror attack, which claimed the lives of 11 Israeli team members, have backed the New Zealand team for committing to the Delhi Commonwealth Games.

Shaul Ladany and Dan Alon, who were among five Israeli athletes to escape the bloodbath, spoke out as new terror warnings were issued ahead of Sunday’s opening ceremony in the Indian capital.

“My advice [to New Zealand athletes] would be not to pull out… never. Don’t let them satisfy themselves with the victory of terrorism if a sports event is cancelled or in any other way disturbed,” Stuff.co.nz quoted Ladany, as saying.

“What is the purpose of terrorism? First, that it should hurt you. Many times they do it against our way of life. Sport is our way of life. I don’t believe any society in the world should let terrorism disturb how it lives,” he added.

Alon, who was a fencing medal hope at the Munich Games, shared Ladany’s views.

“If you don’t do it, then you let them [terrorists] win. It was a shock, I couldn’t understand why they [the terrorists] would choose such a place. The Olympic Games was always a symbol of peace,” Alon said.

“The most important thing is that people know about this and do everything to prevent it ever happening. It is like the Holocaust,” he added.

During the 1972 Olympics, members of the Israeli team were taken hostage and eventually murdered by Palestinian terrorist group ‘Black September’.

By the end of the ordeal, the terrorists had killed 11 Israeli athletes and coaches and one West German police officer. Five of the eight members of Black September were killed by police officers during a failed rescue attempt. (ANI)