Bermudians who competed in the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany

• Boxing – Roy Johnson
• Rowing – Jim Butterfield
• Sailing – James Amos
• Sailing – Richard Belvin
• Sailing – Alex Cooper
• Sailing – Kirk Cooper
• Sailing – Paul Hiles
• Sailing – Penny Simmons
• Sailing – Jordy Walker

Further Information

Tyler Butterfield, the son of Jim Butterfield who competed in rowing at these games, went onto to himself compete in the Olympics 32 years later.

On the international front these games were largely overshadowed by the “Munich massacre”. On September 5 a group of eight Palestinian terrorists belonging to the Black September organization broke into the Olympic Village and took eleven Israeli athletes, coaches and officials hostage in their apartments.

During a botched rescue attempt, all of the Israeli hostages were killed, and all but three of the Palestinians were killed as well. Although arrested and imprisoned pending trial, the three PLO survivors were released by the West German government on October 29, 1972 in exchange for a hijacked Lufthansa jet.

Below is the actual CBS news report about the tragedy from 1972: