Los Angeles — On the 50th anniversary of one of the greatest Olympic performances in history, Mark Spitz reflected on the nine life-altering days he spent in Munich.
At the 1972 Olympic Games, he won seven gold medals and broke seven world records before retiring at the age of 22. The following day, he was thrust into the unfolding tragedy of the Israeli hostage crisis, which resulted in the murder of six coaches, five athletes, and one German police officer by Palestinian terrorists from Black September.
A remarkable sporting accomplishment and the saddest chapter in Olympic history. Spitz reflected on the conflicting emotions he felt in Germany and how his work as a founding member of the Laureus Academy has become part of the heritage he honors on this occasion.
“In 1968, fewer than twenty-four hours after winning my seventh Olympic gold medal, I was caught up in the turmoil and anguish that resulted in the deaths of eleven Israeli competitors,” Spitz remarked. “On that day, the greatest sporting event turned into a massacre, which completely altered my perception of sports. It has taken me fifty years to properly comprehend the true inspiration and force of athletics.
Mark Spitz’s exit from the arena following his final gold-medal swim was the most spectacular ever witnessed by a champion. Two journalists took Spitz out to dinner after he had won four solo gold medals (100m and 200m butterfly, 100m and 200m freestyle) and three more in relay teams (4x100m and 4x200m freestyle, 4x100m medley). Unbeknownst to him, eight members of the Black September terrorist gang entered the Olympic Village at the same time he returned home late that evening.
Spitz was oblivious of the breaking news as he entered what he believed would be a press conference about his accomplishments the next morning. Due to the fact that the seven-time champion was Jewish, it was suspected he could be a target, and Spitz was discreetly escorted to safety under armed protection.
He added, “After the press conference, I was sitting in my apartment in the Olympic Village, watching television, and there was incessant commentary: ‘We believe Mark Spitz, who completed his swimming program, has been evacuated and is in Italy.’ Twenty minutes later: “No, that was incorrect; he is someplace in Sweden.” I do not know if they said that to throw people off the scent, as I was still in my room in the Olympic Village when they said it. It took several hours to formulate a concrete plan.
“My coach and I were placed in the backseat of a car, and I was instructed to crouch as a blanket was placed over my shoulders. After around five minutes, I was instructed to sit up and we were driven to the airport before boarding a flight to London.
When we arrived in London, there was a nighttime armed guard posted at the entrance. Before we went to bed, he told me, “You’re a hazardous person to be around.”
“I respond, ‘Well, I was thinking exactly the same thing about you,’”
“We were unaware of the situation in Germany. When we awoke in the morning, the guard explained what had transpired: “That evening, everything had occurred at the military base, where the remaining athletes were murdered.”
An unsuccessful ambush on an airstrip resulted in the deaths of all remaining hostages, a West German police officer, and five terrorists. The connection between Mark Spitz’s Olympic tale and that of the Israeli squad has lasted for fifty years.
“Thirteen years later, when I was in Israel, I had the opportunity to meet a couple of the spouses of the dead athletes, as well as two of their children, and they linked to me in a huge way: one, because I was Jewish; and second, because I had attended the same Olympics as their fathers.
“It was a terrible tragedy, not only for those athletes, but also for the Olympic movement and especially for the families. We are still discussing it today.”
Spitz also emphasized the mental health difficulty that modern champions face. He stated that if he had the opportunity to remain in elite sport after the 1972 Munich Olympics, rather than retiring at the age of 22, he may have found it difficult to maintain such devoted attention without encountering the same problems.
Athletes including as Naomi Osaka, Ben Stokes, and Chloe Kim have withdrawn from sport in recent years to safeguard their mental health. With a rigorous amateur code in force in 1972, Spitz saw no other option but to retire. And this, according to one of the founding members of the Laureus Academy, is one of the reasons he can look back on his Olympic accomplishments after 50 years of health and happiness away from the pool.
“Athletes that have been extremely successful, they are placed on a podium and they are admired and revered,” said Spitz. “And fifteen minutes later, they depart into the setting sun. It is difficult to walk off into the sunset because such moments will never occur again. Nobody will recognize you and place you on a podium for completing your objective (outside of sport).
“I never had the opportunities to go through what we see some athletes go through, so I have never had similar experiences” (to compete professionally). I believe I would have had a similar experience if my sport had been professionally run and allowed me to continue participating after the age of 22.
Spitz admired David Popovici, the Romanian freestyle phenom who shattered a 13-year-old world record in the 100m freestyle at the age of 17 – the same age Spitz set his first world record.
With the Olympics returning to Los Angeles in 2028, Spitz believes the young athlete has a tremendous amount of room for improvement.
“He is an excellent swimmer and sprinter. My instructor, George Haines, told me when I smashed my first world record, “You just turned from the hunter to the prey.” Now, he (Popovici) will be pursued by everyone else.
“He reminds me of myself in that his physique is not fully matured in terms of strength. He is swimming the freestyle, which is a strength event; I cannot image what he will be able to do. I’m glad for him, but I wouldn’t be if we were competitors: dim the lights, because he’s just exited stage left and taken off!
“He is currently 17 years old, will be 19 for the next Olympics, and will be only 23 when the Olympics return to Los Angeles in 2028. He may go as far as Brisbane!”
Spitz was one of the first members of the Laureus Academy, and he considers his work with Laureus Sport for Good initiatives around the globe to be an integral part of the legacy he is honoring on this occasion.
“This isn’t about developing Olympians, although that could happen,” he said. “It’s giving an opportunity to people that didn’t have a chance.”
Laureus Sport for Good