The IOC once again says no to a Moment of Silence

Once again, the IOC has said no to a moment of silence being held during Friday evening's Opening Ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics.

Jim McKay said that day while broadcasting on ABC: "The longest and most terrible day in the history of the Olympic games."

Bob Costas has gone on record saying he will honor them.  I'm happy about that.  Will NBC support him?  I hope so.

Forty years ago in 1972, 11 Israeli athletes were killed by terrorists during the Summer Olympics in Munich.  Is a moment of silence really too much to ask for?  Does one moment of silence take a way from the Opening Ceremony?  No.

It's no different than all the sporting events that honored those who died on 9/11 with a moment of silence.  It's no different than a moment of silence for the victims killed in the Aurora shooting.

The IOC is acting like cowards in this example.  No matter how many big names are asking for a moment of silence, they refuse to budge from their stance.

Did the IOC budge when the widows of the Munich victims made an in-person request presented with a petition of 100,000 plus signatures?  According to the Forward, they did not.

Widows of two of the athletes presented a request in person for the minute of silence to IOC President Jacques Rogge on Wednesday. The request came along with a petition with over 100,000 signatures. Rogge once again denied the request.

Furthermore:

“We are outraged by the denial of the request, which comes not only from us but from so many people around the world,” said Ankie Spitzer, one of the widows, in a statement. “Our husbands were murdered at the Olympics in Munich. To observe a minute of silence in their memory would let the world know where the IOC stands in the fight against terrorism.”

To the members of the International Olympic Committee, it is not too much to ask for.  All we want is a moment of silence.