Milestone

There were some marvellous athletic performances at the 1972 Olympics, notably Mark Spitz winning seven gold medals and setting seven world records. The first eleven days of 1972 were perhaps the finest Olympic celebrations ever seen. But on the morning of September 5th, the Games were interrupted when eight Arab terrorists, representing the militant Black September group, entered the Olympic Village and took hostage and later killed eleven members of the Israeli Olympic team.

The Olympics were suspended for 34 hours and a memorial service was held in the main stadium. The flags of all the participating nations flew at half mast.

(Credit: IOC / Olympic Museum)