Sigi's peaks: Olympic flair in Munich

It's somehow beautiful, healing and perhaps even reassuring that people let the beautiful aspects of life triumph over those that have caused them hardship. In small and large things. European championships in nine different sports are taking place in Munich these days. A defining feature of this is the Olympic Park with its tent roof, which stretches over a large part of the Olympic Stadium and also protects the Olympic Hall and the swimming pool from rain. It is an elegant construction that appears light and lively.

Just like the atmosphere of the Olympic Games back then and like these European Championships are now. People are tired of all the restrictions that Corona brought with it and they no longer want to hear about further measures such as mandatory masks and fourth or fifth vaccinations. Life is pulsating and sport sets the pace in the Bavarian capital. Thousands are in front of Königsplatz and watch the artists climb overhanging walls and defy gravity.

Filip Schenk won over everyone in Munich. © APA/afp / TOBIAS SCHWARZ

In the Olympic Hall you also feel like you're in a circus with the dizzying twists and somersaults in artistic gymnastics. While 50 years ago climbing was only reserved for Reinhold Messner and his colleagues and plastic holds seemed unthinkable (which Messner hasn't really warmed up to even today), artistic gymnastics was already a hit in Munich at the time with the Olympic rings. The sparrow from Minsk, the petite Olga Korbut, who really seemed to float on the balance beam, is unforgettable.

Karin Janz did gymnastics for the then GDR. And she was a guest in Munich these days and probably thought fondly of her Olympic victories. Janz became a doctor, like Korbut. Maybe because both of them had a lot of injuries over the course of their careers, which this sport inevitably brings with it. A separate facility had been built for the rowers, a few kilometers north of Munich, which is now in need of renovation, but was still good enough for the competitions these days. Seedling instead of red roses This is called sustainability. 50 years ago it was still a foreign word, but now it has become a buzzword, which is why, for example, at the award ceremony there is no oversized bouquet of flowers with roses from Kenya or tulips from the Netherlands, but rather seedlings from local plants that are native to the world “Champions Park” can and should be planted by the athletes. A nice idea, as the supporting program of this unusual sports festival brings with it cheerfulness and happiness.

<a data-caption="So wie Elia Viviani nach seinem Sieg im Eliminations-Rennen auf der Bahn bekam jeder Medaillen-Gewinner einen Setzling geschenkt. © APA/afp / JOHN MACDOUGALL" data-fancybox="inline-122972" target="_image" href="https://s3-images.sportnews.bz/_images/scale/1280x1280/img/2022/08/so-wie-elia-viviani-nach-seinem-sieg-im-eliminations-rennen-auf-der-bahn-bekam-jeder-medaillen-gewinner-einen-setzling-geschenkt.jpg"> Just like Elia Viviani after his victory in the elimination race on the track, every medal winner received a seed as a gift. © APA/afp / JOHN MACDOUGALL

Just like it was back then when the jazz musician Kurt Edelhagen composed the music for the invasion of the nations. The long-playing record was at the top of the charts for a long time. The hostesses wore white and blue dirndls, the head hostess Sylvia Sommerlath later married the then Swedish Crown Prince Carl-Gustav and then became queen. And the mascot was called “Waldi” and was of course a dachshund. The successor is a squirrel with the cryptic name “Gfreidi”. You have to translate that because it is a deep Bavarian dialect. “Rejoice,” it says. Of course you don't have to tell us twice, because these European Championships make you want more. A day that changed everything And yet: I can't get September 5, 1972 out of my head like many of my generation who were already sports fans back then and followed the Olympic Games intensively. The attack by the Palestinian terrorist organization “Black September” on the Israeli team ended with the deaths of all eleven hostages, as well as five hostage takers and a police officer.

“The Games must go on,” said then IOC President Avery Brundage in the Olympic Stadium. And it went on as it always goes on, even if every tragedy leaves an impact. The processing of all the measures taken at the time, especially at the Fürstenfeldbruck airfield, is still incomplete, which is why the relatives of the victims largely stayed away from the memorial service. This day, September 5th, is as unforgettable and formative as the right-wing extremist-motivated bomb attack on September 26th, 1980. At the entrance to the Oktoberfest, 13 people were killed and 221 were injured, 68 of them seriously.

Pictures like this one of Adam Ondra after his gold medal in lead climbing show great emotions in Munich. © APA/afp / TOBIAS SCHWARZ

Now people are cheerful and lively again in Munich and the “Wiesn”, the social drinking fight in the huge beer tents, is still to come. Yes, you should and can enjoy all of this with a clear conscience, even if the news makes it clear every day that the world has not gotten better. Every hour of supposedly unadulterated joy is a gift, which is why this European Championship is currently more than just a sporting event, the largest in Germany since the 1972 games. The competitions are a sign that peace and cohesion among people still exists even in these extremely turbulent times possible are. And the memories are part of it.

About the person: Sigi Heinrich The renowned sports journalist, author and award-winning Eurosport commentator (including winner of the German Television Prize and the Bavarian Sports Prize) not only dedicates his column “Sigi's Spitze” to the entire diversity of sport. He also deals with topics outside of his usual profession. Sometimes very seriously, often with a mischievous wink and sometimes deliberately provocative. There should be something for everyone.

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Sigi's peaks: Olympic flair in Munich

The atmosphere is currently cheerful and lively at the European Championships in many sports in Munich. Our columnist Sigi Heinrich fondly remembers the beginnings of the 1972 Games in Munich, but also the terrible attack that then fell like a shadow over the Olympic Park.

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