RIO PAYS TRIBUTE TO 11 ISRAELI VICTIMS OF MUNICH MASSACRE: Under the auspices of the International Olympic Committee, Brazilian senior officials joined sports activists from Israel and elsewhere at a commemoration of the 11 Israeli victims of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre. The Israeli and Brazilian Olympic committees and members of the local Jewish community attended the event on 14 August 2016 at Rio City Hall. "What happened in 1972 was one of the most lamentable episodes in the history of the Olympic Games, when fanaticism and intolerance converged in a deplorable act of terrorism," Brazil's foreign minister, Jose Serra, said. "I believe the IOC, in all these years, hadn't held the homage it deserved." 

Israel's most senior representative to the games, Culture and Sports Minister Miri Regev, said terrorism "does not differentiate between people" and reaches everyone. “We still see discrimination against the Israeli athletes," she said. "There are countries that deny visas to competitors. We know that mixing sports and politics is against the IOC protocol and contrary to the Olympic spirit. Sport must bring people together." Among the ceremony's participants was Ori Sasson, the Israeli judoka who gave Israel its second medal in Rio - bronze in the men’s judo over 220 pounds competition. His Egyptian opponent during the competition who refused to greet him after being defeated was much criticized. (Arutz-7)