​(Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

On Wednesday, August 3 2016, a historic ceremony took place in the Olympic Village in Rio de Janeiro. A commemorative monument was inaugurated in remembrance of the dead in all modern Olympic Games (since 1896). It will honor 15 dead, including 11 Israeli athletes murdered in t terrorist attack at the Munich Olympics in 1972.

The event, organized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), will become a tradition in the Olympic Games, from now on.

Ilana Romano and Ankie Spitzer, widows of two of the 11 killed in 1972, will be present. In the company of the head of the Israeli delegation to the Olympic Games, Gili Lustig, Romano (widow of weightlifter Yossef Romano) and Spitzer (widow of Fencing coach Andre Spitzer) will visit the Olympic Village in Rio this Tuesday.

"We were impressed with the special design of the monument. It is a historic moment. The emotion is great and extraordinary. We waited for this moment for 44 years," said Ilana Romano. "But the patience of many years was not in vain. The International Olympic Committee finally recognizes the dead in Munich. We are pleased that the Olympic movement recognizes the victims and their children".

During the event, the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, will give a short speech. The head of the Israeli delegation, Gili Lustig, will also speak. Danny Gadot, the Israeli diplomat in charge of the temporary Israeli Consulate in Rio represented Israel at the ceremony.

In another official ceremony, which will take place on Thursday, Aug 4 2016 in the Olympic Village, the Israeli flag will be raised to the sound of the national anthem, "Hatikva", symbolizing the country's delegations present at the Olympics. The Israeli Minister of Culture and Sport, Miri Regev, will be present at the brief ceremony. The raising of the flags of all participating countries is an Olympic tradition.