Bob Costas Will Call for Munich Memorial
NBC sportscaster Bob Costas said he will call out the International Olympic Committee for denying Israel?s request for a moment of silence for the massacre of 11 Israeli athletes and coaches at the 1972 Games.
Costas, according to the Hollywood Reporter, will add his voice to the U.S. Senate, the German Bundestag, the Canadian and Australian parliaments, Italian lawmakers and some 50 members of the British Parliament who are also advocating the moment of silence.
?I intend to note that the IOC denied the request,? he told the Hollywood Reporter. ?Many people find that denial more than puzzling but insensitive. Here?s a minute of silence right now.?
Costas intends to make his remarks when the Israeli delegation enters the 80,000-seat Olympic Stadium for the Olympics? Opening Ceremony, which coincides with the 40th anniversary of the Munich massacre, .
?There?s a reality in business; there were times when I thought he got too forceful,? said Dick Ebersol, Costa?s former producer at NBC, reported the Hollywood Reporter. ?But I?m very proud of the fact that Bob was able to be Bob.?
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO