Games of The XX Olympiad

Munich (FRG), 26 August – 11 September 1972


   

ONE DAY IN SEPTEMBER

The 20th Olympic Games were allocated to Munich, Germany. Everybody expected great Games celebrating peace and ones at which organizational and technical perfection would be reached. For the first ten days, all did indeed go well. But on 5 September 1972, peace was chattered as eight Palestinian terrorists representing the militant group "Black September" broke into the Olympic Village, killed two members of the Israeli team and took nine more hostage - all this only 16km from Dachau...  In an ensuing battle, all nine Israeli hostages were killed, as were five of the terrorists and one policeman. The Olympics were suspended and a memorial service was held in the main stadium. In defiance of the terrorists, the IOC ordered the competitions to resume after a pause of 34 hours, the IOC President Avery Brundage famously declaring, “The Games must go on!”

All other details about the Munich Games paled in significance.

The equestrian events were, obviously, also affected. After the first day of Dressage on 5 September, the second half of the competitors rode on 7 September; the ride-off followed on the 9th. Team Jumping, at that time still preceding the closing ceremony, took place on 11 September 1972.

FROM MUNICH-RIEM TO A BAROQUE CASTLE

The Munich organizing committee had decided to transform an existing riding facility at Riem – not too far from Munich Airport – into an Olympic equestrian site. Munich-Riem, where Eventing and the individual Jumping competition were held, became indeed a jewel of an equestrian facility. A property of 450 hectares, Riem offered stabling for 400 horses and 160 double rooms for the grooms. There were 10 Jumping and six Dressage arenas plus two warm-up areas next to the stadium. Thus the decision by the organizing committee to move Dressage to an untested Baroque castle, Nymphenburg, was hotly disputed. But it was the right decision: the Dressage competitions at Nymphenburg were a huge success despite the fact that the 8,000 seats available there were not nearly enough.

LEASED HORSES FOR MEXICO

Because of an outbreak of Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE), a deadly disease which can affect all equine species as well as humans, the Mexican riders were not allowed to take horses out of their country. In agreement with the IOC and the FEI, the Mexican Jumping and Eventing riders were allowed to lease horses in Germany. It was a difficult experience since all four Mexicans were eliminated on the cross-country.

Key Facts and Figures (general):

  • ·                 121 nations
  • ·                 7,134 athletes (1,059 women; 6,075 men)
  • ·                 23 sports
  • ·                 The officials took the Olympic Oath for the first time.

Key figures (equestrian)

  • ·                27 nations (Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Denmark, East Germany, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherland, Poland, Portugal, Soviet Union, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, USA)
  • ·                 180 entries (74 in Jumping; 33 in Dressage; 73 in Eventing)

 

JUMPING (74 riders from 21 countries)

Hans-Heinrish Brinckmann had built superb courses. The individual competition was held over two rounds. 1st round: 760 m - 14 obstacles / 17 jumping efforts; 2nd round: 660 m - 10 obstacles / 13 jumping efforts. In the first round the water was 5 meters wide. There were five oxers: four 2m wide and one 2.10m wide. The fact that the there were 33 faults at the water and 20 at the oxers came as no surprise.

In the first round, there were three clears and eight riders had one knock-down. Of the clears Graziano Mancinelli and Ann Moore had 8 in the second round and were forced into a jump-off, together with Neal Shapiro who had 4 + 4. Here Mancinelli and the eight year-old grey Irish-bred Ambassador went clear again. Ann Moore on Psalm had 3 points for silver and Shapiro with Sloopy, with two knock-downs, gained bronze.

For the Nations Cup in the Olympic Stadium, the horses (and grooms) had a strenuous day. They left Riem at 3h15 and were stabled in a mini-tent-village outside the Olympic stadium. Of the three medallists in the individual jumping, only Neal Shapiro and Sloopy with 8.25 + 0 repeated their performance.

DRESSAGE (33 riders from 13 countries)

The FEI had drastically changed the Olympic Dressage rules. For the individual medals the scores of the Grand Prix and the ride-off were no longer added: only the result of the ride-off counted. There were now five judges (instead of three), all to count, and they did not have to be from countries not involved in top-level Dressage. For the first time two judges were placed on the long sides. But the new FEI openness also led to a bizarre situation: one of the five judges was a Mexican, who had placed last as a rider in the 1968 Olympics, with barely any judging experience. When the elegant French rider Patrick Le Rolland entered the arena, everybody noticed that the horse was lame. But the judge at C, Gustaf Nyblaeus, did not ring the bell to eliminate this obvious lameness. However, Nyblaeus, together with three judging colleagues, at least marked Le Rolland down. Not so the ignorant Herrera. According to him Le Rolland was 7th – and not 20th to 29th, as seen by the other four judges.

The Baroque palace of Nymphenburg created an atmosphere never experienced before. The castle, built in the 17th century, had been the summer residence of the house of Wittelsbach. The decision in favour of Nymphenburg instead of Riem had a lot to do with a state visit by Queen Elizabeth II in 1965. When she was in Munich, the German 1964 Olympic gold-medal team had given 10 minute dressage demonstration – in front of the castle. The Queen was enchanted and this influenced the Munich organisers’ decision to do it again.

It might be worthwhile to record the surface at Nymphenburg: over the gravel of the park, 80cm more gravel was added. Then there were 4cm of cinder and clay. Finally, on top, there were 6cm of a mixture of sand and wood shavings.

There were 33 starters from 13 nations – of which 10 fielded full teams of three. Twelve of the 33 horses were 14 and older; three of them: Sod, Casanova and San Fernando, were 17, and three more, Pepel, Maharatscha and Marios, were 16. On the other hand the youngest was, at seven, Granat; ridden four years later by Christine Stückelberger to Olympic gold.

Liselotte Linsenhoff on the 14-year-old Swedish stallion Piaff (by Gaspari) became the 13th Olympic dressage champion – the third German to achieve this (after con Langen in 1928 and Pollay in 1936), but the first woman ever.  

EVENTING (73 riders from 19 nations)

Unlike four years before in Mexico, both roads and tracks were flat. The cross-country was designed by Ottokar Pohlmann, himself an Olympic Eventing rider in 1960. Approximately 60,000 visitors watched the competition. The most problems were created by fences number 12 (into the water), 17a (a drop fence), 18 (palisades up a hill) and 23 (a ditch with a rick). At these four obstacles there were a total 38 refusal, 18 falls and 7 eliminations.

Richard Meade, in his third Olympics, became the champion, riding the eight-year old Laureston, owned by Drek Allhusen. In second place came a member of the victorious Italian team of 1964, Alessandro Argenton, riding in his fourth Olympics. Even more surprising was the bronze medal winner, Jan Jönsson of Sweden. Then current world champion, Mary Gordon Watson on the great Cornishman V, could finish only fourth.

Great Britain won team gold, ahead of the USA and Germany – the latter despite the elimination of their top pair, Horst Karsten and Sioux.

Of the 73 horses, 39 were between 9 and 12 years old. Five were 13 and older; 29 were eight and younger. The youngest was a five-year-old ridden by a Argentinean (finishing 47th and next to last). In the starting field there were only three women: two British on the gold medal team and one Canadian. 

To find out more about the equestrian events includes ,  to see the medallists and full results of 1972 Olympic Games. click here.

The medallists and full results can be found here.