From the archives: Dark days in the history of sports

Centennial Olympic Park Bombing, 1996

Centennial Olympic Park Bombing

If it were the Israeli athletes who were the victims of the 1972 Munich massacre, this time it were the spectators. Twenty-four years after that dreaded attack in Munich, terrorists struck again; this time at the 1996 Summer Olympics being held in Atlanta, USA.

While the death toll from the blast was only one, with another person dying from a heart attack, the injury list included 111 spectators. The death toll would have been much higher if a security guard hadn’t discovered the bag containing the three pipe bombs, and begun evacuating the spectators from the area.

But alas, the bomb detonated before the Centennial Olympic Park could be cleared, resulting in the subsequent injuries to those who were nearby. Once again, a sporting event meant to be a harbinger of peace and brotherhood turned into a scene of utter horror and tragedy.