We must remember not only the festivities and the Olympic medal winner

“I do not want to do anything against the great work Sydney has done,” Al Turk told the General Assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees. “But if somebody does something about politics, Arabs will do the same.”

“We do not want peace destroyed,” added Al Turk, vice-president of the Palestine Olympic Committee. “But if they insist on doing so, we are ready. We can do lots of things against Israel.”

Efram Zinger, secretary general of the Israeli National Olympic committee, replied that it was important to remember the only political killings in the history of the modern Olympics.

“We must remember not only the festivities and the Olympic medal winners, but the victims,” he said. “We want to bring the memory of the 11 athletes and officials to the Israeli public, and the younger generation and the Olympic community.”

“We would be satisfied with a moment of silence,” Zinger said.

The dispute arose just weeks before International Olympic Committee president Juan Antonio Samaranch is to visit Israel and Palestine on June 14-15.

On September 5, 1972, Palestinian militants invaded the Olympic village in Munich and took over a dormitory housing Israeli athletes and coaches. Two Israelis were killed in the village. After a 20-hour standoff, nine Israelis died in a bungled rescue attempt by German Police at a local airport. Five Palestinians and a German policeman also were killed.

John Coates, head of the Australian Olympic Committee, said that members of Sydney’s Jewish community had approached the group to propose a moment’s silence at the closing ceremony. But the request was turned down.

“There are lot of causes that should not be perpetuated in ceremonies,” Coates said. “We said there would be no recognition.”

Still, a plaque honoring the Munich dead was unveiled last September in Sydney. The plaque, not located in an official Olympic site, was funded by four members of Sydney’s Jewish community. That appeased the Palestinian, who was more concerned that the plaque would be installed in a stadium or the Olympic Village.

“If it is in a garden outside the Olympic village, there is nothing to do,” Al Turk said. “It was a great answer. I am satisfied now.”

In a sign of conciliation, the Palestinian and Israeli delegates stood side by side, smiling, as they answered reporters’ questions.

But Al Turk wasn’t smiling for long.

Later, when told that the plaque was located at the base of a light tower about 70 feet from the main Olympic Stadium in the Homebush precinct, Al Turk said Palestinians wanted equal treatment.