Did you know?

"The games must go on !"

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. But the Games continued at the insistence of the IOC President Avery Brundage, who famously said "The Games must go on !"

Seven gold medals and seven world records for a single man

There were several magnificent sporting performances at the 1972 Games, notably by Mark Spitz who won seven gold medals and broke seven world records.

The officials take the Oath

The officials took the Olympic Oath for the first time.

New on the programme

Men's handball made its first appearance.

The comeback of archery

Archery was reintroduced into the programme after an absence of 52 years.

(Credit: IOC. Click here for further information.)