1972 Olympics Special Interview Harbinder Singh: Munich was scary, heartbreaking and most unfortunate event in multi-sport Games

The dream of every athlete is to win a medal at the Olympics. I also dreamt and lived it in my first appearance at the Olympics in 1964. At 18, I was the squad’s youngest member, and we regained the gold lost to Pakistan in Rome, in 1964. Tokyo was special. The next, in Mexico, saw us finish with bronze. The result was the same four years later in Munich, but the memories of the Olympics left a scar on the game.

Munich was a scary, heartbreaking and most unfortunate event in a multi-sport Games. The Olympics came to be known for its Munich massacre. I still get shivers thinking of that black day when some athletes fell victim to mindless acts of terrorism.

I should not have been in Munich. I had announced my retirement from international hockey before the Olympics because I wanted some youngsters to come up. I remember this camp at the Shivaji Stadium where KD Singh ‘Babu’ watched me play the trial matches as inside-right. ‘Babu’  saab told our Railways manager Kishan Lal to convince me to return to the team. My retirement plans were put on hold, and I was on the plane to Europe to play some matches before the Olympics.

We played Pakistan in the semifinals at the Olympics, and some goalkeeping errors cost us dear. We lost 0-2. Both goals came in the first-half. (Former Olympian) Gurbux Singh was a journalist at the Olympics, and we received much help. We were a team worthy of winning the gold.

We had some tough matches in the competition. There was this classic match against Kenya that stayed in the minds of our fans. They had many who had migrated from India. Kenya took the lead twice before Mukhbain Singh equalised, and Harmik Singh hit the match-winner. It was one of the most exacting matches that I have played. We won the bronze medal with a hard-earned 2-1 win over the Netherlands. I can say today, the bronze medal had little value, considering our rich hockey legacy.

One of the terrorists who participated in the hostage crisis during the Munich Olympics, 1972.
| Photo Credit:
The Hindu Photo Library

The final was a scrappy affair between Pakistan and West Germany. The Pakistanis kept protesting every decision and mocking the spirit of the game. Their fans came onto the field and forced a halt. Pakistan refused to accept the result, and 11 players from the team were banned for life when they showed their backs to the German flag at the medal ceremony.

The punishment was later reduced to two years by the international hockey federation, but it was a blot on Pakistan, which had won the 1968 Olympic gold in Mexico, the 1970 Asian Games and the 1971 World Cup. Pakistan showed an inferior spirit with their awful behaviour. There was history behind that bad blood between the teams from their 1968 encounter. The umpiring was very poor, and Pakistan felt cheated.

For us, what remained in memory was the attack by the Palestinian Black September group, who targeted members of the Israeli athletes at the Olympic Village. Eleven Israelis and five Palestinian attackers died after a gunfight. The competitions resumed after a day’s mourning. We woke up to armymen taking over the Village and helicopters hovering in the sky. The terrorists, somebody told us, worked at the Village and knew the place inside out.

It took me back to the 1964 final match between India and Pakistan. It was contested bitterly with a lot of rough play. The first five minutes saw the players going for each other. The umpires stopped the play, called both teams and told us, “From now on, only the red card will be in use. Any minor foul will fetch a red card.” The teams played some outstanding hockey after that warning.

Looking at the performances in Munich, Mark Spitz of America won seven gold medals in swimming and won the hearts of all of us. What an amazing athlete he was! Watching Lasse Viren of Finland was a privilege, as he won the 5000 and 10000 gold medals.

Looking back I also have some pleasant memories of Munich. Sports help you understand each other. The Games Village was like a festival. We would exchange gifts, lapel pins, and pocket flags. It was my final Olympics. I was happy to make it three-in-a-row.

I am excited that the team is preparing well for the Paris Olympics. My only issue is the need for more consistency. We have to give our best. Losing 5-0 to Australia can be worrisome, but we have time to recover. We have to be ready for Ireland and New Zealand. They play fearless hockey. We have to ensure that we don’t slacken. Each match has to be treated as a final. My best wishes to the team to improve the third-place finish in Tokyo.

As told to Vijay Lokapally