Robert Sarner: The Difference of a Minute, 40 Years Later
Robert Sarner, a former journalist in Israel, France and Canada, is the director of Communication and Public Affairs at Roots Canada in Toronto.
With the much-anticipated 2012 Summer Games soon to kick off in London, Canada already deserves a gold medal for an Olympic-related action off the field. An action that should be the source of great pride for all those who still subscribe to the original, albeit tarnished, ideals of the Olympic Games.
A few weeks ago, Canada became the first country to officially call on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to hold a minute of silence at the Games in memory of the 11 Israeli athletes and coaches slain by Palestinian terrorists at the Munich Olympics in 1972. The vote in Parliament, passed unanimously, came after two Canadian cabinet ministers wrote to IOC president Jacques Rogge in support of a formal commemoration of the murdered sportsmen on the 40th anniversary of the massacre.
Since Israel made its request to the IOC in April on behalf of families of the victims, a growing number of people around the world have raised their voices for such a long-overdue gesture. In late June, others followed Canada’s lead as the US Senate and the Australian House of Representatives both unanimously passed resolutions calling on the IOC to reverse its position. Germany’s foreign minister also weighed in similarly.
So far, the IOC will have none of it...