Nine Bermudian athletes, including seven sailors, travelled to Munich, Germany, for the Olympic Games in 1972.
The official Olympic site notes: “On 5 September, eight Palestinian terrorists, representing the militant group ‘Black September’, broke into the Olympic Village, killing two members of the Israeli team and taking nine hostages—all this only 20km from Dachau. In the ensuing battle, all nine Israeli hostages were killed, as were five of the terrorists and one policeman.
“The Olympic Games were suspended for 34 hours, and a mass was held in the main stadium to commemorate the victims. In defiance of the terrorists, the Games continued at the insistence of the IOC President Avery Brundage, who famously said, ‘The Games must go on!’
“All other details of the Munich Games pale in significance, but it did have its highlights. The Munich Games were the largest yet, setting records in all categories, with 195 events and 7,134 athletes from 121 National Olympic Committees.”
- Location: Munich, Germany
- Athletes: 7134
- Teams: 121
- Bermuda athletes: 9
- Sports Bermuda competed in: Boxing, Rowing & Sailing
- Boxing: Roy Johnson
- Rowing: Jim Butterfield
- Sailing: James Amos, Richard Belvin, Alex Cooper, Kirk Cooper, Paul Hiles, Penny Simmons, and Jordy Walker
