Olympics - Munich - Brazil

I am really looking forward to the summer Olympics in Brazil and it reminded me of the first I can actually remember watching and they were the 1972 Munich Olympics. I had the pull out from one of the newspaper telling me the events who won the medals.

Of course, one of the main reasons for remembering Munich was because of the massacre in which eleven Israeli athletes and coaches and a West German police officer were killed the darkest day for the Olympic movement.

I have some great memories of the games but not many of them involving British competitors. We won four gold medals in total with Mary Peters winning the Women's Pentathlon but on a low note, she received death threats because she was a protestant. She won her medal for Britain at the height of the troubles in Northern Ireland between the state and the IRA.

It was the only athletics gold the others were won in sailing and two equestrian. There were five silver medals the stand out winner were the Men's 4x400 metres Relay squad. Nine bronze medals were also won Boxing (3), Athletics (2), Judo (2), Cycling, Shooting one each.

We are likely to do much better medal wise in Brazil with most medals expected to be won outside the main stadium. British competitors have mostly lead the way in Cycling, Rowing and Sailing but the world is catching up and I am salivating with the prospects of Brazil.

It’s always like me to have an alternative motive for blogging something and this post is nothing different. It gave me a chance to revisit the major crush I had on British athlete Donna Murray in the Munich games.

Back to the Munich Olympics, two competitors excited the world and they were Mark Spitz a swimmer from the United States and Russian gymnast, Olge Korbut. Spitz not only won seven gold medals he also set seven new world records for each of his medals. Korbut was the darling of the games with her floor exercise routine and the cheeky ending she won three gold medals in total.

There was controversial in the basketball arena in the final between USA and Russia who won the game by a single point. They made the winning basket as time expired with the Americans questioning the legitimacy of the final play. The Americans regarded basketball as their own and since it was introduced to the 1936 Olympics, a team from the USA had won the gold medal.

Although I enjoy all the Olympics events except for Wrestling and Sevens Rugby newly installed into the Olympics god knows why. We can have a GB rugby squad but not a football team. I will have by eyes on sports that really float my boat Badminton, Canoeing, Rowing, Cycling, and the Triathlon. The Olympics opening ceremony takes place 5 August it will have to be spectacular to beat London.