The Games of the Century: Munich 1972, Terror, and the New Germany

In 1972, West Germany presents itself as modern and open to the world. The Olympic Games in Munich symbolize a new beginning – until a terrorist attack casts a shadow over everything. The lecture explores the tension between sports, politics, and drama in a year of historical exception. In 1972, the Federal Republic wants to show itself from a new, open, and modern perspective: The Olympic Games in Munich are marked by a democratic awakening – a conscious counter-model to the Nazi Games of 1936. Under the iconic tent roof of the Olympic Stadium, sports stars like Mark Spitz, Ulrike Meyfarth, and Heide Rosendahl celebrate a festival of peaceful competition – right in the midst of the Cold War. However, the cheerful games are abruptly overshadowed: Palestinian terrorists take eleven Israeli athletes hostage. An event that ends in a bloody drama and shakes the world. Renowned journalists Uwe Ritzer and Roman Deininger will take an intense look at the 1972 Olympic Games this evening – an event where sports, politics, and ideology converge in a dramatic way.