The Dortmund bus attack was not the first time that terrorists had targeted a sporting event. Team buses, in fact, have been the soft target on many occasions – Sri Lanka’s team bus was attacked by armed gunmen in Lahore, Pakistan in 2009; Togo football team bus witnessed an ambush that killed three in 2010 -- while Olympic venue have had its fair share of trouble from terrorists, be it a lone-wolf attack or extremist groups espousing a cause. But sports has always managed to rise above them all. Munich Games massacre didn’t extinguish countries’ Olympic dreams; Champions League matche went ahead albeit with a slight change in the schedule after the bus attack, security was reinforced for cricketers touring sensitive places after the Lahore attack, but the show went on. We take a look at some instances where human spirit trumped terrorism in sports:
April 11, 2017: Dortmund bus attack
July 27, 1996: Atlanta Olympics
Twenty four years after the Munich Olympics massacre that saw the death of 13 Israeli athletes, Olympics was rocked by yet another terrorist attack. A pipe bomb exploded at the town square of Olympics where thousands had gathered for a rock concert. Thankfully, an alert security guard had seen a suspicious-looking bag a while earlier and began clearing the crowd after informing the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI). The bomb exploded soon afterwards killing two and injuring more than 100, but his timely act minimised the damage
Leander Paes and his family were, in fact, inside the park when the bomb exploded. In the book ‘My Olympic Journey’, he recollects, “We were about 30-40 feet away and we were rattled by the vibrations. Chairs and tables had fallen all around us, and ears were ringing. I struggled with my hearing for the next twenty-four hours”.
Despite the attack, the Games went ahead as planned, with Leander Paes ending up winning a bronze medal.
November 13, 2015: Stade de France attack
The Germany team stayed at the stadium overnight and left to Frankfurt the next day. The attack didn’t deter the FA as it gave an all clear for the England v France friendly three day after the attack, to show 'solidarity' with the French people.
May 1, 2002: Champions League
A car bomb, planted by a separatist organisation, exploded near the Bernabeu stadium in Madrid just few hours before the semifinal between Real Madrid and Barcelona on May 1, 2002. The match went ahead after a complete security check.
Other instances...
Eleven Israeli athletes were killed at the 1972 Munich Games after Palestinian terrorist group Black September broke into the Olympic village on September 5. The Olympic organisers and the Israeli contingent wanted the Games to go ahead, but it was suspended after pressure from outside and a memorial service was held inside the Athletes’ village.
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