Munich Massacre

This Olympic torch was used in 1972 when Germany hosted the Games for the first time since the notorious 1936 Games. The torch relay was first performed at those Olympics as part of the pomp to glorify Hitler and his ideas of racial supremacy and global domination.

Hoping to present a new, democratic and more positive image, Germany named the 1972 Olympics the "Glückliche Spiele" (happy games). These hopes were shattered on September 5, when Palestinian terrorists stormed the Olympic village killing two Israeli competitors and taking nine hostages.

The terrorists demanded the release of 234 Palestinians imprisoned in Israel and two renowned German terrorists. After unsuccessful negotiations, they sought to take the hostages to Cairo. At the airport, German sharpshooters opened fire, killing three of the Palestinians. In the ensuing gun battle all the hostages, a policeman and two more terrorists died. The three surviving terrorists were released a few weeks later in exchange for a hijacked Lufthansa jet.

At the time, the International Olympic Committee was criticized for its inadequate response. In 2014 the committee finally allocated funds toward a memorial to commemorate the victims of the Munich massacre at the Rio Olympics in 2016.