Call For Olympic Partner Program To Scroll Names of Slain Israeli Athletes At Beginning Of Broadcast

U.S. Senate candidate Wendy Long issued a request for Comcast/NBC & The Olympic Partner Program (TOP) to begin the broadcast of the London Olympics by scrolling names of the 11 Israelis athletes and coaches killed in 1972.  Long also joined the ranks of people worldwide calling for a at Friday’s start of the 2012 Olympic Games.

"Since the IOC is thus far refusing to act, I am asking NBC, its parent corporation Comcast and members of The Olympic Partner Program (T.O.P.) to recognize a moment of silence by scrolling of the names of those lost in Munich at the start of the Olympic broadcast,” said Long, a Republican-Conservative. “While this is not a substitute for action in London, it will be a powerful reminder that the world continues to honor the memory of the victims of terror."

Widows of two slain athletes and representatives of Rockland JCC will be presenting the “Minute of Silence” petition with more than 103,000 signatures to IOC officials today.  They have been working together for the past two years on the petition and effort to have the 11 athletes and coaches remembered on the 40th anniversary of the massacre.

On Saturday, Jacques Rogge, the IOC president, rejected calls for the Minute of Silence saying, “We feel that the Opening Ceremony is an atmosphere that is not fit to remember such a tragic incident.” 

The Olympic Partner Program (T.O.P.) includes companies such as: The Coca-Cola Company, VISA, McDonald’s, General Electric, Atos, Acer, DOW, Omega, Panasonic, Procter & Gamble and Samsung. 

On Wednesday morning, (D-Westchester/Rockland), who has already voiced support of the Minute of Silence, holds a press conference with Ankie Spitzer, widow of slain 1972 Israeli Olympic coach Andre Spitzer; Lenny Krayzelburg, former American Olympic Swimmer and four-time Gold Medalist; Congressman Ted Deutch (D-FL); Steve Gold, vice president of the JCC Rockland and William Daroff, vice president of public policy of Jewish Federations of North America.