Summer Olympiad (1972)

The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, celebrated in Munich, in what was then West Germany. The 1972 Summer Olympics were the second Summer Olympics held in Germany. The Munich Olympics were intended to present a new, democratic and optimistic Germany to the world, as shown by its official motto, "the Happy Games". The emblem of the Games was a blue solar logo (the "Bright Sun"). The Olympic mascot, the dachshund "Waldi", was the first officially named Olympic mascot. The games also saw the introduction of the now universal sports pictograms designed by Otl Aicher. However, this joyful mood was ruined by the killings of 11 Israeli athletes by Palestinian terrorists in an event known as the "Munich massacre". The 1972 Munich Games were the largest yet, setting records in all categories, with 195 events and 7,173 athletes from 121 nations. The Olympics were suspended and a memorial service was held in the main stadium. In defiance of the terrorists, the International Olympic Committee ordered the competitions to resume after a pause of 34 hours. All other details about the Munich Games paled in significance, but it did have its highlights. Archery was reintroduced to the Olympic programme after a 52-year absence and handball after a 36-year absence. Whitewater (or slalom) canoeing was included for the first time. The 1972 Games were also the first to have a named mascot: Waldi the dachshund. U.S. swimmer Mark Spitz won an incredible seven gold medals to go with the two he had earned in 1968. Lasse Viren of Finland fell midway through the 10,000m final, but rose and set a world record to win the first of his four career gold medals. Freestyle wrestler Ivan Yarygin of Russia pinned all seven of his opponents en route to his first Olympic championship in the heavyweight division. West German, Liselott Linsenhoff, competing in the dressage event, became the first female equestrian to win a gold medal in an individual event. The media star of the Munich Games was the tiny Soviet gymnast, Olga Korbut, whose dramatic cycle of success in the team competition, failure in the individual competition and renewed success in the apparatus finals captured the attention of fans worldwide.

Opening date: 26 August 1972

Closing date: 11 September 1972

Ceremonies

Official opening of the Games by: President Gustave Heinemann

Lighting the Olympic Flame by: Günter Zahn (athletics, junior 1 500m champion)

Olympic Oath by: Heidi Schüller (athletics)

Official Oath by: Heinz Pollay (equestrian sports)

Participations

121 NOCs (Nations)
7,134 athletes (1,059 women, 6,075 men)
195 events

Country of the host city: Federal Republic of Germany (1950-1990, "GER" since) (FRG)

Candidate cities: Detroit (USA), Madrid (ESP) and Montreal (CAN)

Sports

• Aquatics
• Archery
• Athletics
• Basketball
• Boxing
• Canoe / Kayak
• Cycling
• Equestrian
• Fencing
• Football
• Gymnastics
• Handball
• Hockey
• Judo
• Modern Pentathlon
• Rowing
• Sailing
• Shooting
• Volleyball
• Weightlifting
• Wrestling

Demonstration sports

• Badminton
• Water skiing

Venues

• Munich Olympic Park (Olympia park)
• Olympic Stadium (Olympiastadion) - opening/closing ceremonies, athletics, football/soccer, modern pentathlon, memorial service for Israeli athletes
• Boxing Hall (Boxhalle) - boxing, judo
• Cycling Stadium (Radstadion) - cycling
• Olympic Sports Hall (Sporthalle) - gymnastics, handball
• Hockey Facility (Hockeyanlange) - hockey
• Swimming Hall (Schwimmhalle) - swimming, diving, water polo
• Volleyball Hall (Volleyballhalle) - volleyball
• Olympic Village (Olympisches Dorf)

• Venues in Greater Munich
• Regatta Course (Regattastrecke), Oberschleißheim - rowing
• Basketball Hall (Basketballhalle), Siegenburger Straße - basketball, judo
• Fairgrounds, Fencing Hall 1 (Messegelände, Fechthalle 1) - fencing
• Fairgrounds, Fencing Hall 2 (Messegelände, Fechthalle 1) - fencing
• Fairgrounds, Weightlifting Hall (Messegelände, Gewichtheberhalle) - weightlifting
• Fairgrounds, Judo and Wrestling Hall (Messegelände, Judo- und Ringerhalle) - judo, wrestling
• Dante Swimming Pool (Dantebad) - water polo
• Shooting Facility (Schießanglange), Hochbrück - shooting
• Archery Facility (Bogenschießanlange), Englischer Garten - archery
• Riding Facility, Riem - equestrian events
• Dressage Facility Nymphenburg - equestrian events

• Other venues
• Olympic Yachting Center, Kiel-Schilksee - water skiing, yachting
• Nürnberg - football/soccer preliminaries
• Regensburg - football/soccer preliminaries
• Passau - football/soccer preliminaries
• Ingolstadt - football/soccer preliminaries
• Augsburg - canoeing, football/soccer preliminaries, handball preliminaries
• Ulm - handball preliminaries
• Göppingen - handball preliminaries
• Böblingen - handball preliminaries

Highlights

• The unstoppable Mark Spitz (USA-swimming) lined up for seven events and won a medal count unique in the history of the Games: seven Olympic titles and seven world records. He took part in the 4x200m one hour after his final in the 100m butterfly. As for the 200m freestyle gold, it was his third medal in three days.

• Ulrike Meyfarth (GER-athletics) was only sixteen when she entered the high jump event. She beat her personal best by seven centimeters to equal the world record and earn the gold medal. She became the youngest person of either sex to win an athletics gold medal in an individual event.

• Handball (last held in 1936) and Archery (last held in 1920) returned as Olympic sports after a long absence.

• Wim Ruska became the first judoka to win two gold medals.

• On 11 September, a small plane was stolen in Stuttgart and authorities received information that Arab terrorists were planning to drop a bomb on the final ceremonies. IOC officials and Chancellor Willy Brandt, who were attending the ceremonies, were informed. Defense minister Georg Leber had two fighter planes follow the stolen plane, with the intent of shooting it down should it approach Munich. Radar contact to the plane was lost. A short while later, radar contact to an unknown plane was established, but it turned out to be a civilian passenger aircraft. The stolen plane was never found.

Facts

• The 11 days of these Games were perhaps the greatest Olympic festival ever. However, on the morning of 5 September, the Games were interrupted when eight Arab terrorists, representing the militant group "Black September" entered the Olympic Village, took hostage and then killed 11 members of the Israeli Olympic team- all this only 20km from Dachau... The Olympic Games were suspended for 34 hours and a mass was held in the main stadium to commemorate the victims. The flags of all the countries were flown at half-mast. However, the Games continued at the insistence of the IOC President Avery Brundage, who famously said, "The Games must go on!”

• The officials took the Olympic Oath for the first time.