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June 30, 2006
Swimmer recalls Munich 11
Karen James watched terror unfold at the 1972 summer Olympics.
KYLE BERGER
For most Canadians, September 1972 was all about hockey's Summit
Series that saw Canada facing Russia – and the Olympic Games
in Munich, Germany. For Karen James, who was representing her country
at the Olympics at the time, it wasn't much different. That was
until devastation overshadowed the spirit of the Olympics in a way
that permanently scarred her.
It was two in the morning, several days after competing in the 200
individual medley swim event, when James and some friends returned
from the Canadian press building where they had watched one of the
legendary hockey games. Instead of entering the athletes' village
through the front gates, they took a short cut, climbing a tall
chain link fence. At the same time, James noticed a few other dark
figures doing the same thing, but thought very little of it.
The next morning, she discovered that those dark figures were the
Palestinian kidnappers who took 11 Israeli athletes and coaches
hostage and eventually murdered them all.
"I remember seeing a fairly tall man, covered in black, and
it was September, so he was certainly over-dressed," she said
of the visions that still haunt her today. "It kind of registered
and we knew they weren't athletes, but the realm of possibility
was not there. The thought that they were there to do harm just
did not occur to us."
James went to sleep and woke early that morning to the sound of
helicopters flying overhead. She went to the Canadian medical building
to get a better view of what was happening. There, she witnessed
one of the most infamous terror events in history.
"We could see where they were being held hostage and we could
see the Palestinian with his gun," she explained. "We
witnessed the drama of the German authorities and the PLO guy going
back and forth negotiating. And we saw later in the day when the
Israeli athletes were led out to a bus."
A few hours later, rumors began to spread that the hostages had
been freed, but joy turned to shock soon after, when the announcement
was made through the media, "They're all gone."
"I think I was in shock and a bit numb," James said of
her reaction to the news of her Israeli peers. "It had a huge
emotional impact on me and it still does."
Although a memorial service was held in the Olympic stadium, James
couldn't handle the idea of the Games continuing and decided to
leave.
"They made the announcement that they were continuing with
the games and I couldn't live with that," she said. "It
was like the end of innocence at that point."
Although she understands why it never crossed her mind at the time,
James said she still struggles with the idea of what might have
happened if she had reported seeing the tall, dark strangers that
night.
"I still live with wondering, should I have said something?"
she said. "And if I had, what difference would it have made?"
James also suggested that, due to Germany's military past, they
avoided a weapons-based presence at the Games, leading to an environment
that may have allowed the terrorists to succeed in their plans.
"There was security there, but it wasn't omnipresent and I
think they possibly went a little too lax the other way," she
said.
James, who also competed and won medals at the Commonwealth Games
and the Pan Am Games prior to her Olympic journey, will speak as
part of the special tribute to the murdered Munich athletes, which
will take place during the opening ceremonies of the JCC Maccabi
Games in Vancouver, Aug. 13.
James, who hasn't had the chance to pay tribute to those athletes
since the Munich Games said she is looking forward to that opportunity
at the Maccabi games.
"It will be a very moving experience," she predicted,
"and will bring tears to my eyes."
James is also using her swimming expertise for the JCC Maccabi Games
as co-commissioner of that sport's tournament.
Kyle Berger is a freelance journalist and graphic designer
living in Richmond.
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