Which Olympics were overshadowed by a terrorist attack where Israeli athletes were taken hostage?

• A. Munich Olympics 1972/Black September
• B. 1968 Mexico City Olympics
• C. 1980 Moscow Olympics boycott
• D. 1984 Los Angeles Olympics

Answer: (A)

This question tests recognition of a defining incident in Olympic history where politics and violence directly disrupted the Games. The Munich 1972 Games are the event in question, because a group called Black September seized Israeli athletes as hostages, leading to a tragic rescue attempt that resulted in the deaths of 11 Israeli athletes and a German police officer. This horrifying episode cast a long shadow over the Games and prompted major changes in Olympic security and how nations view safety at large sporting events.

The other options involve different kinds of disruptions that don’t fit the description of a terrorist attack on athletes. One option reflects political demonstrations and related tensions at the Mexico City Games, another involves a widespread boycott tied to geopolitical conflict at the Moscow Games, and the last reflects another boycott tied to the Los Angeles Games. None of these centers on a hostage-taking or killing of athletes, so they’re not the event described.