IOC Allows Tribute For London 7/7 Victims After Nixing Munich Moment

While the International Olympic Committee (IOC) refused to hold a moment of silence during the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics in honor of the 11 Israeli team members killed by Palestinian terrorists during the 1972 Munich Olympics, the IOC did include a tribute for victims of the 2005 London subway bombing.

NBC edited out the segment for U.S. television viewers, replacing it with a taped interview with swimmer Michael Phelps. “It’s almost unheard of for a nation to change Olympic Opening Ceremony protocol, and the IOC often uses that as one of its excuses to deny a moment of silence for the Israelis,” wrote Christine Brennan in an op-ed for USA Today. “But then it changed protocol for others.”

NBC sportscaster Bob Costas did recognize the 11 murdered Israelis while current Israeli athletes walked around the Olympic stadium in London during the Opening Ceremony’s parade of nations. “For many, tonight, with the world watching, is the true time and place to remember those who were lost, and how and why they died,” Costas said on air.

After 12 seconds of on-air silence, Costas cut to a commercial.

Israeli Sports and Culture Minister Limor Livnat stood in the VIP stands during Rogge’s address at the opening ceremony. The protest came after Israel’s Foreign Ministry reportedly attempted to convince representatives from other countries to join her.

The official Olympics TV feed did not show Livnat standing during the speech, but it was shown on Israel television after the ceremony ended, the Times of Israel reported.

Israel television stopped its commentary for 30 seconds as the Israeli athletes marched into stadium while displaying photos of the 11.

The Lebanese judo team, meanwhile, refused to practice in the same room with the Israeli team on July 27. Organizers had to erect a barrier between the two teams, reported the Times of Israel.