Amitzur Shapira

Amitzur Shapira
עמיצור שפירא
Amitzur Shapira and Esther Shachamarov in Munich 1972
Born	(1932-07-09)July 9, 1932 Tel Aviv, Israel
Died	September 6, 1972(1972-09-06) (aged 40) Munich, Germany
Nationality	Israeli
Occupation(s)	Sprinter, long jumper and track coach

Amitzur Shapira (Template:Lang-he; July 9, 1932 – September 6, 1972) was an Israeli sprinter and long jumper in the 1950s and a coach for the Israeli track and field team at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany. He was murdered by Palestinian terrorists in the Munich massacre.

Biography

Amitzur Shapira was born in Israel and was a resident in Herzliya. For many years, he served as a teacher and educator at the Wingate Institute's Jewish College. When Shapira went to the 1972 Summer Olympics he was the head coach for the Israeli track and field team. During the 1972 Olympics he and 10 other members of the Israel Olympic team were taken hostage by Arab terrorists at the games. Two of the Israelis were shot in the beginning of the ordeal and the other nine (including Shapira) were held hostage and then later were murdered on the tarmac of Furstenfeldbruck airbase during a botched rescue attempt by Munich police and Bavarian border guards.

Shapira was the coach of Esther Shachamarov who later became an Israeli Olympic athlete (in 1976, she became the first Israeli to reach an Olympic final). When she heard that her coach had been murdered she withdrew from the 1972 Olympics.

He was buried in Kiryat Shaul Cemetery in Tel Aviv.

His grandson is the German artist and comedian Shahak Shapira.

Literature

• Reeve, Simon: One day in September. The full story of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre and the Israeli revenge operation "Wrath of God". Arcade, New York 2000. ISBN 1-55970-547-7.