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Senate Urges Olympic Organizers to Honor Munich Victims in London

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The latest Senate proposal was first introduced by Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), according to JTA.Supporters of the push to have a moment of silence— in remembrance of the Israeli athletes who were killed at the Munich Olympics in 1972— at next month’s London events caught a break on Monday, when the U.S. Senate voted unanimously to urge the International Olympic Committee to reserve a moment for the victims at the opening of this year’s competitions.

The Senate resolution was a response to the growing chorus of critics who are angered at the IOC’s refusal to honor their request. The 2012 Olympics will represent the fortieth anniversary of the murders of 11 Israeli athletes and coaches at the hands of the Palestinian terrorist group, Black September, in 1972, and the IOC has not capitulated to international pressures to honor the victims at the London Games’ opening ceremonies.

The latest Senate proposal was first introduced by Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), according to JTA. Representatives Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) and Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) had a similar resolution pass unanimously by the House Foreign Affairs Committee, but the House floor has yet to collectively vote on the issue.

A petition signed by global officials and citizens has been turned away by the IOC, but several countries are now seeking to introduce legislation demanding the IOC acquiesce to protestors’ demands. Sympathizers hope the U.S.’s move will set a precedent for other countries and officials to emulate.

Generally, many see the observation of a moment of silence to remember “Munich 1972” as completely consistent with the Olympics’ values.

“According to the Olympic Charter, ‘The goal of Olympics is to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of humankind, with a view to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity,’ “ explained William Daroff, vice president for public policy and director of the Washington office at The Jewish Federations of North America, according to JTA.”As we approach the 40-year anniversary of this massacre, we hope everyone – especially members of the IOC –will embrace that Olympic spirit and come together to honor the memory of the slain Israeli athletes and coaches.”

The IOC has participated in memorials held in outside communities in the past and even honored the fallen athletes the day after the Games. But the committee has yet to officially recognize the tragedy during the actual competition, critics say.

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