The Foundation for Global Sports Development announced yesterday that ground-breaking ceremonies were held for a contemporary memorial in Munich, that will commemorate and honour the Israeli Olympians slain by terrorists during the 1972 Munich Olympic Games.

The unique memorial is designed to visualize and promote a deeper understanding of the events that transpired on September 5th and 6th of 1972, with a significant focus given to the biographies of each victim. The memorial is being strategically placed between the Olympic Village and Olympic Stadium in Munich and will be open to the public in fall of 2016.

The Memorial Project was founded by the Bavarian States Ministry for Education, Science and Culture in 2014. The Foundation for Global Sports Development and the International Olympic Committee also pledged their financial support early on.

“This memorial project is one of the most important and meaningful undertakings I have had the privilege to be involved with,” said GSD executive board member, Dr. Steven Ungerleider. “As someone who has been in and around the Olympic family since the tragic events that transpired during the Munich 1972 Olympic Games, it is finally time to appropriately memorialize the victims and hopefully, bring a sense of closure to their families.”

The Deputy Foreign Minister of Israel, Ms. Tzipi Hotovely, and the ambassador of Israel in the Federal Republic of Germany, Mr. Yakov Hadas-Handelsman, represented Israel by participating in the ceremonies.