Report: Victims’ families to attend Munich ceremony after reaching deal with Germany

31 August 2022, 4:41 pm

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A memorial plaque for the eleven athletes from Israel and one German police officer were killed in a terrorist attack during the Olympic Games 1972, stands at the former accommodation of the Israeli team in the Olympic village in Munich, Germany, August 27, 2022. (AP/Matthias Schrader)

The families of 11 Israeli athletes killed by Palestinian attackers at the 1972 Munich Olympics have reached a deal with the German government over a long-disputed compensation claim, German media reports.

Ankie Spitzer, a spokesperson for the families, tells Germany’s RND news that an agreement has been finalized with the federal government. “The families will come to Munich,” Spitzer tells RND.

Earlier this month, the families had threatened to boycott Monday’s 50-year anniversary ceremony in Munich organized by German authorities because they said the amount they had been offered was too low.

Several media outlets reported today that Germany increased its offer to the families to around 28 million euros (dollars.)

German media have reported that during negotiations over the last few weeks, the German government initially offered 10 million euros to the families, which would include the payments already made. The government has not publicly revealed how much money it has offered.

AP contributed to this report.