Olympics And Terrorism: From Munich Massacre To Paris Train Attack - When Games Become Easy Target

The French capital is in the headlines ahead of the Paris Olympics 2024, but not for a good reason. Saboteurs struck France's high-speed train network in a series of attacks, causing chaos and exposing security gaps ahead of the Pairs 2024 opening ceremony. This is not the first time the biggest sporting event has been caught in the crossfire of security threats and terrorism. (More Sports News)

Pairs seems to be "under attack" and this is far from the first time the world's biggest sporting event has been targeted by those seeking to disrupt and terrorize. In fact, the Olympic Games have been canceled three times due to world wars and postponed once due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Olympic Games have been canceled four times once due to World War I (1916) and twice during World War II (1940 and 1944), affecting both the Summer and Winter Games. And in 2020, the Tokyo Olympics were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Olympic Games - The Games That Never Were And The Ones That Were Scarred

Paris Train Attack (Paris Olympics 2024)

A Franco-Swiss airport was temporarily evacuated on Friday as a precaution following a series of arson attacks that disrupted the French rail network. The incidents occurred just days before the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics 2024. The airport was evacuated earlier in the day due to a security alert.

Arson attacks on France's high-speed rail network have sparked countrywide travel chaos and raised security concerns just hours before the Paris Olympics opening ceremony.

Munich Massacre (1972 Summer Olympics)

At 4:30 AM on September 5, 1972, a nightmare began in the Olympic Village in Munich. Eight Palestinian militants affiliated with Black September breached the secure confines of the village, their mission chillingly clear: to target the Israeli Olympic team. Disguised as athletes, they jumped into the Israeli quarters at 31 Connollystrasse.

Wrestling coach Moshe Weinberg was the first victim, fatally shot as he attempted to defend his team. Weightlifter Yossef Romano suffered a similar fate. Nine other Israeli athletes were taken hostage, their lives were in the hands of these terrorists.

A botched rescue attempt at a nearby military airport ended in tragedy, claiming the lives of all eleven hostages, five of the eight terrorists, and a West German policeman. David Berger , an American-born weightlifter also died in the horror.

This tragedy changed the perception people had about the Olympics and sporting events, picking lines about the security at these Games.

Atlanta Olympics Bombing (1996)

Atlanta Olympic Games bombing of 1996, a tragic event that occurred at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia, resulting in two deaths and more than 100 injuries.

On July 27, 1996, a single homemade pipe bomb left in a knapsack exploded amid a crowd of spectators in Centennial Olympic Park, near the main sites of the Olympic Games in Atlanta. The blast caused by the crude device killed one person and injured 112 others. During the event, a photojournalist also died, of a heart attack while running to cover it.

London Olympics (2012)

Terrorism is not just about killings and fatalities, it is the constant fear that something might happen and The London Olympics was one such example. It was a massive security operation, with the UK government declaring it the largest peacetime operation in the country's history.

The threat of terrorism was ever-present, and the Games were closely monitored by security forces.

Olympics That Were Never Held (1916, 1940 and 1944)

The threat of terrorism loomed over the Games, with security forces keeping a close vigil. Terrorism has become an uninvited guest that makes its presence at various big sporting events, including the Olympics. All eyes would now be on the French capital with Paris Olympics 2024.

It's the somber reality of safety concerns, but at the same time, one wishes that the spirit of sportsmanship and coming together rises higher.