Kudos to Recah Trinidad for his courage in expressing his opinion on this very touchy subject concerning the refusal of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to hold a minute of silence during the 2012 Olympics opening ceremony in London in honor of the athletes who lost their lives in the 1972 terrorist attack on the Olympic Village in Munich (Inquirer, 7/30/12).
He joins a number of well-respected sports journalists, such as Bob Costas of NBC (United States) and Brian Williams of TSN (Canada), as well as the governor general of Canada, who have publicly questioned the IOC regarding this matter. At the same time, one only has to follow the many pages on Facebook about the public support for a minute of silence in remembrance of these athletes.
When athletes of any country travel for competition they are entitled to an environment of goodwill, good sportsmanship and personal safety. The host Olympic City and the IOC are responsible for these matters. We can let history speak for itself on the event of September of 1972, but not to pay respects to the Olympic participants who lost their lives baffles me and hundreds of thousands of other people throughout the world.
The IOC calls itself a family. What family does not take a moment to remember its lost members?
—DAVID GILINSKY, Makati City