Yakov Springer Yakov Springer Yakov Springer (1921 – 6 September 1972) was a wrestler and a weightlifting coach and judge, but is best known as one of the victims of the Munich massacre at the 1972 Summer Olympics. During the Holocaust, Springer took part in Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The Polish-born Springer was murdered with 10 other men who were representing Israel in the Olympics in Munich. They were murdered by Palestinian terrorists, from the PLO Black September group. The Palestinians took the 11 Israelis as hostages and asked for the release of 236 Palestinian prisoners in Israel and Germany. After the hostages
Palestine at the 2012 Summer Olympics of 1972 Munich Massacre victim Andrei Spitzer, has requested prior to every Olympic games since those of 1972 that the International Olympic Committee hold a moment of silence during the opening ceremonies to remember the eleven victims of the massacre. However, the IOC has denied all of these requests. As the London 2012 games would be the 40th anniversary of the Munich tragedy, Spitzer spearheaded an online petition for a moment of silence during the games' opening ceremonies, which garnered over 100,000 signatures. Again, however, the IOC denied the request, committee chairman Jacques Rogge affording that "the Opening Ceremony is